When the Wind Blows
by Fluffy Nouget
Summary: Moving from Hawaii to La push: ew. Being thrown into the realm of make belive: uh oh! Finding the guy of your life and somehow managing to keep him through so much drama: hallelujah! SethxOC. Complete. Now including epilogue.
1. Prologue

"How's it going back there, Capn'?" Peripherally I could see my father watching me in the rearview mirror. He does this every so often; I don't really know why. I guess he thinks I'll somehow open the door and fling myself from the vehicle without his knowing.

Fat chance of that happening.

We're currently going sixty five down the interstate in the middle of Washington State. As much as I'd like to jump out of car, I'd rather live a few more years than be a pile of splatter for the Haz-Mat people to pick up later.

"I'm doing fine dad…just like I was twenty minutes ago, actually." My face was smashed against the window and I could literally feel that my eyes were glazed over. There was nothing to look at; everything was green and nature-y. No buildings. No people. Not even any other cars.

"I know Caroline, I know. I'm sorry it had to come to this, but I felt that this was the best solution to the problem. It's only for a year honey, only a year. I know you can make it." I felt myself frown and fists clench slightly.

I can openly admit that I have a small anger problem. I've never blown up and straight out yelled before, but I have walked around seething with anger for days and made everyone deflect away from me, but that's about it…until my dad told me what was going on.

Let me recap for you.

Hi, my name is Caroline Mavnik, daughter of Colonel Carver Mavnik of the U.S. Army. I was born in Virginia, but raised all my life in Hawaii. My mom died giving birth to me and ever since I've been taught the ways of life by my dad and my older brother, Chase.

Chase is currently over in Iraq fighting the war while dad's here…

Moving me away from everything I've ever loved…

To an Indian reservation…

In Washington…

And the reason for this is because my last known living relative, Great Aunt Lucille, finally died at the ripe old age of 97.

Bless her heart.

This sent dad into a whirlwind frenzy because he thinks his days are now numbered even though he's only 46. Figuring he had no other option, dad decided to move back to his hometown, La Push, Washington, where all his old buddies still live (though I thought they would have gotten lives and actually moved away, but I guess that didn't happen).

So, ladies and gentlemen, that is the spectacular story of why we are in the middle of now where surrounded by so much nature that Henry David Thoreau would light a match and torch everything.


	2. Chapter 1

**Thanks to everyone that's read/reviewed so far, it honestly means a lot to me. The first chapter was technically a prolouge because I wasn't sure how well this story would work, so here's the actual first chapter, right off the press. I hope you guys like, because this is a whole new experience for me! Thanks, Fluffy Nouget ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or anything associated with it, just Caroline and her crazy clown house... ^^**

**_When the Wind Blows  
_****_Chapter One  
_****_  
I Know This Isn't A Joke Because You Don't Have A Funny Bone_**

Our new house was tiny, as in it had two bathrooms and two bedrooms that you could have fit into our living room back home. The living room/dining room were what I considered cubby holes, and the kitchen was definitely a disappointment.

How could you cook something good if you could walk six steps and be on the opposite side of the room?

I groaned and slid down against the wall. Dust bunnies fled as my butt smacked the floor and my hands shielded my face from the gloomy midday sun filtering in through the window. I had expected a small house, but this was just ridiculous. No human being should ever be forced to live in a house as disproportional as this.

The house itself was taller than it was wider. All the rooms were narrow with walls that went up, up and up until they could go up no more. And what was up with the door frames? God forbid a fat person visit us because they'd never make it through the slender door ways that an average sized card board box couldn't fit through.

This was asinine.

"You okay, Capn'?" Dad finally found me in the kitchen and put down his box. He sighed and looked around. I peeked through my fingers in time to see him grimace as he swept and thick layer of dust off the counter. Apparently he had high expectations, too.

"It's a nice house…just needs a little home improvement. Some touch ups. It'll…We'll be fine." I gave a snort and finally uncovered my face.

"Gee, that's really great dad. I can't wait to fix up a house that the circus left behind." My dad's infamous eyebrow twitch surfaced and I knew I had hit the jackpot. He gave a half-grunt, half-sigh sound and jabbed his thumb at the front door.

"Why don't you go get your stuff and take it up to your room? We can go get cleaning supplies tomorrow and get down to business. That sound good?"

"What about food?" What can I say? I'm a very blunt person when it comes to food.

"Here, take the car, we passed a convenience store on the way in, you remember?" I nodded and grabbed the keys from the counter.

"Get me something too!" I was already out of the house and in the car, keys in the ignition.

This was definitely going to be a helluva year.

* * *

I never was a religious person, but I found myself asking 'why me?' to God on the way to the store. This whole thing was fucked up.

Why did dad worry about his age now? Has he always been this paranoid and I've never noticed? Did he even know Great Aunt Lucille? How the hell was I supposed to survive a year in this place? _Could_ you survive a year in this place?

My thinking came to a halt as the familiar clap board mini-mart came into view. It was only twenty minutes from our house, but since it started pouring ass rain right after I left, it felt like an hour. I pulled up close to the door and waited for a few seconds thinking that the rain might let up.

It didn't.

Grumbling, I pulled up the hood on my only sweatshirt (I never had to wear one until now) and made a break for the door. I might as well have been dunked in water because I still got soaked.

Inside I wiped my feet off and looked around. No one was at the register and the sign to my right said that they were still open. Shrugging, I grabbed a busted up plastic basket and wandered down one of the aisles. I grabbed anything that looked good off the shelf and didn't worry about the prices. How expensive could a one-stop-and-shop place be? As I rounded the corner at the end of the aisle, I came across something you normally don't see in everyday society.

There, standing in front of the drink cooler, holding the door open with one hand and holding a gallon carton of milk with the other, was the biggest freaking guy I've ever seen. He was well over six feet tall with copper skin, short cropped black hair, and was half naked, as in he was only wearing grungy cargo shorts. There was some kind of tattoo on his arm and he was chugging the milk.

Granted, I chugged milk but

a) I was alone,  
b) It was our milk that we bought, and  
c) I didn't broadcast it to the world.

He looked like he was pretty into it because he had the whole 'glugging' sound effect going on and hadn't noticed me yet. I stood there and watched for a few seconds until I decided to clear my throat, which made his head jerk over to my direction and caused milk to fly everywhere.

I grimaced as I wiped some off my cheek and forehead.

"How long have you been standing there?" His voice was deep and luscious, making my breath catch for a brief millisecond. He was still holding open the freezer door and milk carton, a goofy, embarrassed look smeared on his face.

"Long enough to know that I don't wanna buy any milk from here." He gave a sheepish smile and let go of the door and took two giant steps towards me.

God he was freakishly huge.

"Name's Embry. My mom owns the store, so I usually get to chug things for free." He stuck out his hand for a shake and stuck my much smaller, sleeve covered hand into his.

What can I say, I'm a germaphobe.

"Caroline Mavnik." He was very enthusiastic and hadn't let go my hand yet, which felt like it was starting to burn. That was just a little weird.

"You must be new here, I've never seen you around, but then again people come and go through these parts all the time. Are you just passing through or—"

"We just moved here." This guy was way too friendly and I found myself trying to find a way to run away.

"Oh, wow, that's cool, like I said, we usually get people that just pass through because La Push is such a small place and there's not a whole lot to do because—"

"You wouldn't happen to know how to use the register, would you? It's pretty late and I'm sure my dad's wondering where I am by now." Embry gave me a slightly dumbfounded look as he just realized something important and was mentally saying 'oh shit!' in his handsome little head.

"You said your mom owned the store, so I just assumed you worked here too…"

"….Ohhhhhh…yeah, yeah, yeah, I work here! Let's go get you checked out. We wouldn't want Colonel Carver coming after anyone so soon." It was my turn to be dumbfounded as Embry seemed almost proud of himself that he had turned the tables.

"H-How do you know my dad?" Things just kept getting weirder and weirder; maybe Frankenstein's over in the next aisle stocking shelves. Who knows?

"My friends' dad is really tight with your dad and he was pretty excited to hear that ya'll were coming back. We haven't been able to shut him up for days!" I felt myself nodding while I followed Embry to the counter and he rang up my stuff.

Dad didn't mention that he had contacted everyone in a whole frickin' five mile radius that he was moving back. He said something along lines that we were 'going to surprise the heck outta everyone by just poppin' back up'.

He's in a very deep hole, my friends, a _very _deep hole.

"Well, uh, that's nice…I guess I'll get to meet everyone later. It was, uh, nice meeting you Embry." He had finished ringing everything up and I had already paid. He seemed genuinely thrilled at the thought of me meeting everyone. I gave an unsure smile and a little wave as I exited the store and got back into the car.

Ewwwww, I could literally feel my skin crawling with all the weirdness that was radiating from this place; maybe there's something wrong with the water.

* * *

**So....there you go. The end of the first 'official' chapter. Sorry I didn't mention that the chapter before this was just like a teaser trailer, but now you know. It'd be greatly appreaciated if you reviewed, and hey, got any friends? Spread the word that you read this totally awesome story!**

And thanks to the one reader who left a comment (I can't remember your name, but I'll awlays know that you were this story's first reviewer ;)! )

**~ Thanks, Fluffy Nouget ~**


	3. Chapter 2

**~So here's the thrid chapter (very fresh, I might add ^^) for your enjoyment. We're getting very close to the big Seth moment so tighten your seatbelts, laddies, because we're starting to pick up.**

**~I'd like to give special thanks to _ASethPlusImprintNerd_ and _CanoeKeyPaceHeGrit_ for being my only reviwers so far and even giving suggestions. I love your reviews very much.  
****~I would also like to add that if anyone has any suggestions for songs for any chapters, please leave them in a review and I will look into them. Thanks to _CanoeKeyPaceHeGrit_ for this fabulous idea - you are very much appreciated.**

**So that's all folks, and remeber, I don't own nuthin'! ~Fluffy Nouget**

**When the Wind Blows  
Chapter Two**

**Super Freak, Super Freak, Super Freakay!!**

Three days ago I met my first local person in La Push. His name was Embry. He worked at the Stop n' Shop in town and chugged milk. He slightly scared me.

Two days ago my father and I attacked our new house with high spirits and tons of cleaning supplies. The dust bunnies were now extinct and everything smelt lemony fresh. Every room was organized and each piece of furniture was put in its proper place. My room was officially set up and the fridge was well stocked.

Yesterday, dad managed to fix all the maintenance-y stuff, as in leaking pipes, broken door hinges, and the usual exposed wire that could have caught everything on fire and burned Washington to the ground.

Wouldn't that be lovely?

I stood around all day and watched, putting in my two-cents when necessary which caused dad to groan and curse me to places that didn't sound very fun.

Which leads us to today.

My fourth day in fairy land and I already want to impale myself on a sharpened stick.

Now that sounds like fun.

When I woke up this morning and turned on the weather, the overly cheerful and slightly neurotic weather lady told me to expect a 60% percent chance of rain. Of course I ignored this because I already knew not to expect 60, but 100. It rained everyday.

All day.

All week.

Probably all month and all year, too.

So that's why I'm currently sitting on our front porch, legs crossed, leaned up against our house watching it rain. An hour ago I had attempted to watch TV, but the constant drumming of rain hitting the side of the house and windows was so annoying it made it impossible to hear anything.

Dad was inside, happy as a clam, re-arranging his book shelves and listening to the staticky radio. He grew up in this kind of environment so this must have been natural for him.

Me, not so much.

Standing, I stretched and gave a yawn – sleeping with constant rain was very hard. Weighing my options on what to do, I finally trudged inside and found our very small stash of umbrellas. Back in Hawaii we only owned one; we now own five.

Yay assimilation!

"Dad?" I yelled up the stairs, only to be greeted with an old static-crusted country tune.

"Dad!" I tried again, this time graced with the presence of his head peering over the railing.

"Yeah, honey?"

"I'm going to walk down to the beach. That okay?" He contemplated this for a few seconds.

"It's raining." I did a 'no duh!' gesture and he smiled.

"Take your phone and don't talk to any creepers."

"Jesus, dad, I'm seventeen, not seven. I won't talk to any creepers…unless they're very hot and offer me money." I gave a cheeky grin and dad rolled his eyes. He was just easy going like that, especially for a Colonel.

With my trusty umbrella and very outdated cell phone, I ventured out across the yard and onto the main road.

Well, the only road.

It cut right through the heart of La Push and kept going all the way to Forks. It was things like this that made me wonder how one could get lost in a tiny roadside town. There's one road, people. It's not exactly New York City.

I had been walking for about fifteen minutes and everything was dandy. My umbrella didn't leak, my phone didn't ring, and I was one with nature.

Not exactly because I glared at every piece of shrubbery I passed, but you get the picture. So there I was, walking down the street, minding my own business…

_when all of a sudden a bear jumped out and attacked me!!!_

Not really, but a raccoon did come barreling out of the under growth so fast it nearly gave me a heart attack. I didn't even hear the bushes rustling because I was so focused on walking, but now that you mention it, there was a creepy kind of feeling in the air.

The raccoon had completely vanished from my sight and the bushes were still rustling from where it had run out. Were there more of them?

I stopped walking and just stood there. The rain made a soft patter against my umbrella as I gave an involuntary shiver.

Was it just me or was it getting colder?

I looked around and only saw thick walls of greenery. If there was something—or someone—out there, I was an easy target. I took a few hesitant steps and continued on my way to the beach, the whole way wary of what was going on around me.

Ten minutes later I was still walking on the road and was very paranoid. Ever since the raccoon incident, I felt very odd being out in an open area. I had looked behind me many times and even heard some funny noises that I think I imagined. I was really starting to get weirded out. Straight in front of me was another stretch of open road and a bend I couldn't see around. I considered turning around and going back home until I noticed and opening in the trees.

It looked like a hiking trail.

I knew it probably wasn't a good idea, but it had to be better than walking out in the open, right?

_Right?_

I ducked under a low hanging branch and was immediately covered by a thick canopy of trees that shielded me from the rain. I gingerly shut my umbrella and looked around; the path was very distinct and looked very well used.

It looked safe.

It _was_ safe.

I continued on my way, breathing in the moist cold air and looking through the hazy, filtered light. I hoped that the trail brought me out near the beach and didn't end up taking me to Canada or Oregon.

Now _that_ would suck.

I was in the process of climbing over a fallen tree when a flash of color caught my eye. I knew it wasn't a small woodland creature because it was a very big flash and it didn't look cute. Instead, it was a large chunk of dark gray matted fur that caught my eye and made my breath momentarily stop. I just realized something.

I was out in the middle of the woods…_alone_…

With wild animals that had very sharp teeth and claws…

With wild animals that were probably hungry and wanted meat.

_Fresh_ meat.

I tightened my grip on the umbrella and picked up my pace. I was probably no more than six steps away when another streak of color caught my eye. This one was black and looked menacing and had me thinking that I'd rather be looking for the Blair Witch than walking around with blood thirsty animals. Unconsciously, my legs moved faster and faster as I saw more and more glimpses of colors; silver, chocolate brown, a lighter gray, a rusty brown, and lastly, a dark sandy tan.

Before I knew it I was crashing through the trees and underbrush, jumping and dodging things left and right as was what ever was following me. I was officially freaked out now, but had enough common sense to run and not look back or scream. I took deep breaths and mentally thanked myself for being in top physical shape.

I've surfed all my life and am very proud of my speed and muscles, but not so much of my emotions or nerves.

I was sent spiraling through the weeds as a heart stopping howl erupted from somewhere around me and caused me to lose focus. I found myself flailing forwards but quickly caught myself as I did a tuck and roll; a basic army maneuver. I stumbled, but quickly regained control and almost gave a scream of victory as I finally pounded through a wall of trees and found myself on First Beach.

_Hallejuah! I'm alive!_


	4. Chapter 3

**~So here's the latest chapter (very fresh, I might add ^^) for your enjoyment. We're getting very close to the big Seth moment so tighten your seatbelts, lasses and laddies, because we're starting to pick up!**

**~I would also like to add that if anyone has any suggestions for songs for any chapters, please leave them in a review and I'll look into them. Thanks to **_**CanoeKeyPaceHeGrit**_** for this fabulous idea - you are very much appreciated.**

**So that's all folks, and remember, I don't own nuthin'! ~Fluffy Nouget**

**When the Wind Blows  
Chapter Three**

**Sorry Alice, We Just Went Further Down The Rabbit Hole Than You Did!**

Beaches are usually nice, warm, sunny places where you hang out and scope out cute guys while laying on your beach towel with sunglasses and coolers. You could get a nice tan and show off your killer body and hey, even throw some Frisbee or build a sandcastle.

If I was on one of those beaches there wouldn't be a story right now, would there?

Nope!

Instead, I'm fresh outta the woods from running like a maniac thinking I was going die from crazy carnivorous creatures, but hey, to each their own, right?

My lungs literally felt like they were on fire as I slowly made my way down First Beach. Sure, it was nice and everything, it just lacked everything that made a beach a beach. You know, things like sunshine, guys, laughter…_FUN_.

Just to point out some things…

I was about half way down the beach, poking around in a tidal pool when it started pouring rain, but I figured it was no biggie because I had my umbrella…

at least I thought I did.

Things just got a bit shittier around here as I realized that I had lost my umbrella during my romp through the woods.

Great! Now I was miserable _and_ wet!

Sighing mostly in agitation, I found a washed up log that didn't look too infested with sea critters, and sat down in front of it, my back leaning up against it, and my eyes closed. In a sad attempt to shield myself from the rain I pulled up the hood on my jacket only to be rewarded with a miniature shower. My hood had already filled up with water. Splendid.  
This could not be happening. It was impossible for anyone in the world to have this kind of a day, and yet here it was, happening to me.

I'm moved away from my friends and home of seventeen years to a place with constant rain. I now live in a tiny hick ass town with nothing to do but watch and listen to it rain. My father is strolling down memory lane and doesn't give a damn about who he drags with him.

I'm lonely and miserable and well on the way to becoming a bitter old harpy.

"Rain, rain, go away, come again another day…" It was pointless, but worth trying, at least.

"Heh, I tried that once when I was a kid. It didn't work so well." I could no longer feel raindrops drumming against my body and an unidentifiable heat source was working it way into my freezing joints. I kept my eyes closed, relishing in the feeling of it.

"They say the third time's a charm." I heard a small bark of laughter and shook my head, the corner of my mouth twitching upwards in a smile. There were a few moments of silence until a thought came to mind.

"You're not a scary rapist who's going to beat me and take my money, are you?" I heard another bark of laughter and then felt a presence besides me.

"Nah, I'm not a rapist…but I am a serial killer." I whipped my head up at this and instantly regretted it. My neck had popped in a few places and a headache had hit me at full force, right behind the forehead. There was some more laughter and I felt like killing who ever was next to me.

"Capn' Crunch and Cocoa Puffs don't stand a chance around me!" I processed this for a few seconds until it hit me. Those were cereals…as in breakfast foods…and this person was a _cereal_ killer.

Ha, ha, ha…funny.

"Why don't you fu—" I never finished my sentence because it totally went out the window when I saw who I was sitting with. Everything I had been prepared to say just erased itself like a virus erases data.

The guy next to me was _HOT_.

As in Hollister-model _HOT_, and any other major male model corporations you could think of.

He was looking at me with intense chocolate colored eyes that literally seemed to swirl with so many emotions Gandhi wouldn't have been able to understand. His face was slightly heart shaped with a strong jaw and nose that complimented his high cheekbones and flawless skin. He must have been another local, like Embry, but was slightly different, like he wasn't pure bred.

His hair wasn't pure black, but looked as thought it was mixed with some lighter browns and other tones. It somewhat flopped over his eyes and I found myself wanting to brush it away, but mentally smacked myself and refrained. His skin wasn't as russet-y as Embry's, but more like a dark sun kissed effect.

The thing that really got me though was the simple fact that he was half naked. He only had on a pair of cammo cargo shorts; his six pack abs were staring me right in the face with all their muscular glory.

He was still looking at me with some kind of unfathomable emotion.

I still couldn't form any words, but held my own and tried not to look stupid.

He gave me a goofy lopsided grin.

"The name's Clearwater. Seth Clearwater." He held out his hand that wasn't holding the umbrella.

"Caroline Mavnik." I breathed as my hand made contact with his.

It felt like heaven.

His grin widened as he continued to hold my hand.

"I've heard a lot about you, Miss Mavnik, and it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

God! He was a gentleman too!

"I can only imagine some of the things!" I laughed and unwillingly pulled my hand from his; it felt like it had been in the microwave.

Seth noticed this and reached up to run a hand through his hair.

"Sorry…I've, uh, been working out, so I'm a little over heated."

"That's perfectly OK! I just ran through the woods like a raging banshee thinking I was going to die." Wow, great Caroline, make him think you're mentally retarded!

He was silent for a few seconds and smiled at me like we were old friends catching up after a few years.

"Okay, I'm stumped. Care to elaborate?" I smiled and shook my head.

"I was walking down the main road on my way here when a raccoon ran out from the bushes and scared me." Seth gave another loud bark of laughter and I did my best to muster up a glare. It must not have worked because he continued to laugh.

"I'm sorry…it's just cute to imagine you being scared of a raccoon." I felt myself blush and looked away. Did he just compliment me?

"Anyways, I found a trail through the woods and decided it would be safer…I guess…but that's not the point. I was doing fine until all these creepy animals showed up and tried to eat me. I guess they were wolves because one of 'em howled and I lost focus…and bam! Right into the underbrush! But I made it out, so here I am." I turned back to find Seth's face full of worry.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes Seth, I'm perfectly fine. Maybe some bruises and whiplash, but other than that I'm as healthy as an Ox." He gave a small nod and I wondered why he was so concerned.

"Y'know…the wolves around here are really friendly…they wouldn't even hurt a fly." I snorted and attempted to fix my hair but settled for shoving it all underneath my hood.

"No, really, I grew up with them. They're perfectly safe."

"Yeah, tell me that when I'm the middle of the forest with no arms or legs praying for death." Seth gave me a measured look and I felt myself cringe on the inside.

Had my sarcasm hit a nerve?

"Don't worry; you'll believe me sooner or later."

"I dare you to make me."

"Fine, I accept. When can we start?" I felt myself gape slightly and was about to fire back a witty remark when my phone suddenly started blaring Fall Out Boy's _America's Suitehearts_. I fumbled to get it out of my water logged pocket, the whole time aware of Seth's gaze.

"Hello?" I answered, hoping it was one of my friends I could just hang up on.

"Caroline? Are you alright, you've been gone a while." It was dad.

"Uh, yeah, I'm at the beach. I guess you could, uh, say I made a friend." I shot a glance at Seth to find him still intently looking at me.

"That's great sweetie! We've been invited to a bonfire by my old friend Billy Black. There'll be food and everything and you can even meet some more people. I told you everything would work out." I grimaced at the thought of more time outdoors in the rain.

"That's great dad! I'll see you in a bit." I didn't even bother saying 'bye' because I knew it would have been pointless. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and realized Seth was still next to me.

"You don't like social gatherings?" He must have caught the look my face.

"Not really social gatherings, but the idea of it being outside. I hate all this rain; God knows I don't have the clothing for it." I gestured to my skinny jeans, sweatshirt, and only pair of shoes; a banged up pair of black converse with duct tape.

Classy, right?

Seth smiled and reached into his back pocket and revealed a black beanie. He handed it over to me and I tentatively took it.

"You can keep it; I have some others at home. You can wear it tonight so you don't get a head cold." He must have noticed the look of confusion that passed over my face as I turned the hat over in my hands.

How did he know where I was going to be tonight? Did he have super-human hearing or something?

"Billy hasn't been able to stop talking about you and your dad for months; he's so excited that you're finally here. He's had tonight's bonfire planned for weeks." My mouth formed an 'o' and I looked up to meet Seth's eyes.

"You're going to be there, right?"

He smiled and handed me the umbrella.

"You better get ready. It's a long walk home and the festivities start early around here. Personally, I wouldn't miss it for the world." He gave one last smile and stood, brushing the sand off his shorts.

My heart sped up as I realized I could see the deep 'v' right below his belly button where his abs melted into his waistband. He gave one last wave and walked off towards the tree line, vanishing into the greenery.

I gulped down the rising lump in my throat and tried to collect myself.

Damn teenage hormones.

* * *

**Thanks to any returning reviewers or readers out there that have made it this far. Seth has finally made an appearance and we're off to a bonfire. Yipee! **

**Please review with your thoughts and opinions! I love hearing what you all have to say. Until next time, Fluffy Nouget. ;)**


	5. Chapter 4

**~Sorry for the late updates, there has been some major drama in my house and things have gotten CRAZY. Thanks for your patience and I'll try to update quicker. **

**~If anyone has any suggestions or **_**constructive**_** criticism, please leave them in a review. **

**~Lots of Love, Fluffy Nouget ;)**

**~P.S. This chapter is extra long to make up for my absence, and yes, I do not own Twilight. **

**When the Wind Blows**

**Chapter 4**

**Uh, Excuse Me, But Did My Ears Just Perceive You Correctly?**

What does one wear to a Ye Olde Bonfire anyways? Do you attempt to look cute or do you go dressed to bear the elements? What if you don't have anything cute or survivalry?

I found myself thinking these things over as I stood back and examined my closet. Dad had left twenty minute ago because he couldn't wait until the Bonfire started to see Billy – he had to go _now_. He told me someone would pick me up in an hour and left me standing in my current predicament.

It's almost like my father is two years old again; he can't wait to do anything and he just runs off. I've never seen him like this and it almost makes me wonder if something's going on, but that's a whole other ball park that I don't want to play in right now.

My closet didn't offer me many choices on what I should wear tonight. It basically told me that my clothes sucked and I should dress more like a girl.

I'd like to see it sit outside it pouring ass rain in five inch pumps and then tell me to dress like a girl.

After much head scratching and murmurings that I won't elaborate on, I pulled out a pair of dark washed skinnies and a couple of long sleeve shirts.

Notice that I said 'a couple'.

I was pretty much ready to go except for the fact that my hair was still soaking wet from my shower and that I wasn't dressed, but other than that, I was ready to party.

Making my way into the bathroom I pulled out the blow dryer from its lengthy hibernation and actually used it. My bronzy colored hair had gotten longer than I usually kept it. It was now well past my shoulders and hung down near my elbows in layers created by yours truly.

And when I say layers I actually mean that I went at it with a pair of scissors and didn't really care where I cut or what length it was.

Kinda like my bangs; they varied from eyeball length, chin length and middle-of-the-neck length.

Special Ed, right? That's why you don't let me near scissors.

Blow drying didn't take long and I found myself applying the usual eyeliner and eye shadow. That was probably the only girly thing about me.

Clothing was the next thing to go on and I found that putting multiple long sleeve shirts over one another is a difficult task; they get staticky and cling together. I was about ready to go off on a yelling spree and throw them across while screaming profanities, but was stopped by the ringing of the doorbell.

It'd already been an hour?

No fucking way.

I rushed to put on the rest of my clothing and ended up with a white v-neck over two other v-necks; maroon and an olive green.

A pretty interesting combination, I'd say. My jeans were on in a jiffy as were many layers of socks and finally my shoes.

Another jab of the door bell sent me scrambling down the stairs to the front door.

Didn't want to make a bad first impression, right?

Opening the door I found a girl around my age. She was dressed for heavy rains and even carried an umbrella. Her black hair was pushed back with one of those fleece headbands and her mocha eyes seemed friendly. She smiled and stuck out her hand, which I shook out of politeness.

What was it with people and handshakes around here?

"Hi, you must be Caroline!"

"Uh, yeah, that's me. You're my ride?" She nodded vigorously and motioned to a car out in our gravel driveway. Behind the wheel was another girl, maybe older, who didn't look as friendly as the one on our porch.

"Do you mind if I grab a few things, I'm running a little late?" She nodded so much I thought her head was going to fly off.

"Yeah, sure, we're a bit early. My name's Kim, by the way."

"Nice to meet you." I said from inside the hall closet by the front door, surrounded by jackets of various colors. I was trying to find the wool coat I had picked up at Good Will before we left Hawaii.

"So…do you like it here so far?" Kim was trying to make conversation. That was nice.

"It's a bit too rainy for my tastes, but I guess I'll survive…I mean I haven't melted yet, right?" She laughed more than I thought she would and I finally found my coat, pulling it from the depths of the small closet.

"That's a cute coat. My favorite color's green." She was referring to various shades of green in the plaid pattern.

"I wouldn't have gotten it if I'd known _everything_ around here was green." I said slipping it on, causing Kim to laugh again. She made her way back out onto the porch while I grabbed the beanie Seth had given me off an end table by the door.

I smiled as I pulled it on.

He said he was going to be there.

* * *

It was comfy in the tiny beige Corolla.

We were about ten minutes into our drive when Kim turned around and looked at me.

"So how old are you? I'm sixteen and Leah's nineteen." Leah must have been the other girl; we haven't formally said hello yet, but she has inspected me in the review mirror.

"Seventeen." I replied, watching the night scenery fly by.

"Cool…and you moved here from Hawaii, right?"

"Yup."

"I've always wanted to go there, but I bet it's expensive."

"Not really, it just depends on what part you wanna go to. If you wanna be all ritzy and stuff that'll cost you a couple thousand, but if you just wanna kick back and don't care about locals, the smaller islands are cheaper." Kim's mouth formed an 'o' and she shook her head slowly, processing everything I had just told her.

"Which island did you live on?"

"Maui." I smiled without even realizing it.

"Wow, you must have loved it there."

"I did. It was a fun place to grow up; I had a lot of friends."

"Any boyfriends?" Kim had a mischievous tone in her voice that made me look up. Leah quickly looked at me in the mirror.

"Hardly; all the guys I know are walking dicks. Thank god the guys I've met here so far have normal brain functions." Kim laughed and Leah even seemed to give a small grunt.

"What do you mean?" I unconsciously rolled my eyes.

"My guys back home are cute and all, but their idea of fun is running out into the ocean in jelly fish season and catching shit with a net. They think they're Spongebob Squarepants or something. Their jokes are always dirty and make absolutely no sense. They're all raging idiots, but at least they're _my_ raging idiots. They're like my brothers."

"They sound like fun." Kim was still laughing and I just grinned and gave her a nod. Everything grew quiet for a few seconds until Kim found another question.

"So…have you met anyone here that you like?" I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.

"Well…I've only met Embry, you, Leah, and, uh, Seth." Kim's smile widened so far I thought she'd morph into the Cheshire Cat.

"Embry's nice, maybe a little immature, but Seth is really sweet. He's a great guy." That huge smile was still planted on her face and I felt like smacking it until a sudden thought occurred to me.

_Was Kim going out with Seth?_

_Or maybe Leah?_

I wanted to reach up and pull the hat right off my head and chuck it out the window; this was starting to get awkward.

Kim was poised to ask me another question, but luckily I was saved by her vibrating phone. She pulled it from one of the cup holders and looked at the screen, her mouth quirking into a smile as she looked over to Leah, who also noticed this.

"What?"

"Jared texted and said you need to drive faster…everyone's waiting for the fresh meat." Kim's Cheshire smile came back into view and she turned to look back at me. I gave an uncertain smile back and looked into the rearview mirror.

Leah's gaze was locked with mine and she was smiling too.

* * *

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a pussy or anything; I don't give a shit what people say about me and I can definitely hold my own in a fight or any other situation.

Trust me; I have scars to prove it.

I will admit that I was slightly nervous as Leah pulled into the small parking lot by First Beach. It wasn't 'oh-my-god-I- hope-they-like-me' nerves, but rather 'holy-fuck-that's-a-lot-people' kind.

And it was true; there was an ass load of people here.

The three of us made our way down a steep hill that led out directly to the beach. It was pitch black dark, but almost seemed like twilight from all the fires burning. All around were small groups of people around smaller campfires, while a bigger, much brighter one burned a ways down the beach. We walked for a few minutes until Leah led us to a long row of tables covered by trays and bowls of food.

How had I missed that?

In front of us was a group of men, one of them being my father who noticed me almost instantly.

"There's Caroline!" He made his way over to me and pulled me into an awkward one armed hug.

"Caroline, this is the one and only Billy Black." He did a grand gesture towards and old man in a wheel chair while Billy saluted me with his beer can.

"It's nice to meet you," I sweet talked, "I've heard so much about you."

"As have I, young lady! It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Your father hasn't been able to shut up about you for months!" I smiled and wrote him off as being slightly tipsy, as was my dad.

"And over here is Sam Uley. I just met him, but he's seems like a helluva guy." I nodded at the very tall and muscular man with long hair and penetrating eyes. He nodded his head, an amused expression on his face.

I looked around for Kim and Leah, but they were no longer in sight; they had made a break for it.

"Oh my goodness! Carver, is this your daughter?!" I turned back around to find two older women making their way towards us.

One was very motherly in appearance while the other was beautiful, but unfortunately had large pink scars marring her face. I did my best not to stare and mentally told myself that she would have done the same for me if my scars were that noticeable.

"That's gotta be Sue!" My father exclaimed, pushing me out of the way to make room for another one of his friends. I plastered a cheesy ass smile on my face and just went along with it; what else could I do?

"Sue Clearwater. Nice to meet you." Why did that last name sound familiar?

"You wouldn't happen to have a son named Seth, would you?" Sue's smile widened and she gave a giddy little laugh.

"Did I just hear my name?" I turned around and _BAM!_

There he was.

Seth.

"Long time no see, huh?" His smile was the only thing I could see and I mentally smacked myself.

"Oh yeah, it's been so long! Like a year, right?" He continued to smile and we just stood there staring at each other.

Can we say awkward?

"Why don't you go introduce Caroline to the guys? The food will be a bit." I broke away from Seth's gaze to look at the woman with the scars. She smiled at me politely and placed a dainty hand on her chest.

"Emily."

"Caroline."

"I know." Wow, I felt like an idiot.

Emily shooed us off as she turned to talk to my father and the rest of the adults. I allowed Seth to grab my upper arm and haul me away from his mother and down across the beach.

"So we're meeting 'the guys', right?" Seth nodded and I swear I felt his grip tighten ever so slightly.

"Should I be afraid?" I joked, looking up at his face. He looked down at me and smiled.

"Very afraid." I found myself smiling back as we finally stopped at one of the many campfires. I only recognized three of the seven sitting there. Kim waved at me eagerly while Leah's gaze shot back and forth between me and Seth.

Embry was the first to speak.

"Dude, it's the Newbie! I knew I'd see you again!"

"Dude, it's you! The guy who chugs milk!" Embry seemed almost proud of himself as he shifted on the log he was sitting on.

"Guys, this is Caroline." I gave a small wave and watched them watch me. Seth must have noticed this because he continued with the introductions.

"Right, well, starting from the left that's Jared and his girlfriend Kim…" Kim practically lit up at the word girlfriend and Jared gave a friendly nod.

"…then that's Paul and Embry…who you apparently already know…" Seth seemed slightly agitated at this while Paul (who looked like he could kill you in a heartbeat with all his muscles) and Embry exchanged amused looks.

"…then Quil and his, uh…his…uh, cousin…yeah, cousin, Claire." Quil looked like a nice guy and his cousin was so cute. She had little black pigtails and pink earmuffs. She was snuggled up close to him and was hugging a raggedy stuffed dog.

"Then my sister, Leah." I of course knew who Leah was, so there was nothing to surprise me when I met her expressionless gaze. Seth motioned for me to sit down next to her while he took the last remaining log for himself.

At least I knew I wasn't sitting between two lovers; that would have been weird.

"Awe you an impwinp too?" I looked over to see Claire looking at me intently and was slightly confused.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I couldn't hear you." I leaned towards her and smiled.

"Impwinp!" She practically screamed. Once again I was confused, so I turned to ask Seth but thought better of it. His face was in utter shock, and after looking around, so was everyone else's.

Except Leah's; she was trying very hard to hold in her laughter.

"Is that word native for 'foreigner', or something? Was I just called a bad name by a three year old?" I looked around for an answer, but got nothing. Quil was the first to regain his composure and pulled Claire into his arms.

"Why don't we go see if Aunt Emily has the food ready yet, Claire Bear?" And quicker than lighting he was gone.

What the hell had just happened?

I shifted around and heard Leah clear her throat next to me, then a sudden cough across from me.

"Hey Caroline, why don't we go get some food? I think it's ready?" Kim was standing and ready for action.

"Uh, yeah, sure." I stood and jogged to catch up to her; she was already walking away. I glanced behind me and saw Leah grab Seth as he tried to lunge across the fire towards the guy named Paul who was being held back by Embry and Jared. I was about to ask Kim what was going on when a sudden howl ripped through the air and caused me to pick up my pace.

Kim just shook her head and gave a grim smile.

"Damn wolves."

* * *

Emily had been waiting for us when we got to the food table. She explained that we got to eat first because if went last there wouldn't be any food left.

I thought she was joking.

I was sitting on an empty log around what I assumed to be the main bonfire and I was absolutely appalled. After Kim and I had gotten our food, we had watched the rest of the boys attack the table.

And I mean they literally _attacked_ the table. It was like watching an animal planet special with lions and gazelle; the lions being the boys and the gazelle being bowls of pasta and steaks.

Kim had gone off to sit with Jared and dad was no where in sight. I sighed to myself and polished off my pile of macaroni salad.

"I like a girl with a healthy appetite." Seth carefully sat down next to me, but still managed to loose a buttery roll in the process. I caught it easily with two feet to spare. He gave me a goofy grin and put his cup by his feet.

"Thank you kind maiden, for you have saved my roll from the dreaded sand of the west coast!" I smiled and shook my head as I handed it back to him. He placed it gingerly on top of a heaping pile of green beans and looked at me.

"Ready for some stories?" He asked, fishing around in his pocket for an eating utensil.

"Ghost stories? That's why we're here?"

"Nope. Ghost stories are overrated; Old Quil is going to be telling our tribe's legends." My mouth popped open in an 'o' and looked back at the fire. I unconsciously rubbed my hands together.

"Are you cold?" I turned to find Seth's face very close to my own.

Oh Jesus.

"No, I'm fine. Just a little tired, is all." Seth nodded and stuffed a whole hot dog – bun and all – into his mouth. He gave a small moan as he chewed; it looked like he was in heaven.

"Good?" I asked, and he looked over at me and nodded, his hand forming a thumb's up. He ate quietly for the next few minutes as I steadily watched the fire.

I could feel my eyelids starting to droop until a hand softly patted the back of my head.

"Awesome hat. Where can I get one?" Seth's plate was already licked clean and shiny new.

"I don't know, I got mine from some guy I know." I joked lamely. Seth gave small smile and his hand slid from my head to my back, right between my shoulder blades.

"Lucky him."

* * *

**Check out my profile for some _When the Wind Blows_ banners my sister made. There's one for Caroline and one for Seth. TELL ME WHAT'CHA THINK!!**


	6. Chapter 5

_**I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE TOTALLY SUCKISH UPDATE!!!! **_

_**I've been out of state at least four different times and have had a computer virus for two months. All the chapters for this story were deleted when our mother board was wiped clean, and I was an ass for not saving this stuff on a disk or thumb drive! **_

**_I hope you all forgive me, and if you would just be patient it would be greatly appreciated!!! Please review and let me know what YOU want to read, thnks, Fluff. 3_**

**_~I don't own Twilight._**

* * *

**When the Wind Blows**

**Chapter Five**

**If Cars Have Speed Limits Why Can't Hormones?**

The only thing I could really process was that my head was sunk so far down into my pillow that I thought I'd need the Jaws of Death to get it out.

The bonfire has lasted well into the night, thus the reason why it's currently 1 pm and I'm still in bed. Dad ended up toasted, which left me to drive him and some of his newly found buddies home. It was a very interesting car ride, to say the least.

The legends were phenomenal; there was simply nothing out there to top them. Just the whole plot and story line of them made you really believe that there was magic out in the world that you could just happen upon.

And I'm not talking about that cheesy Disney shit, either.

I'm talking about the real stuff; werewolves, vampires, mythical creatures in general, and most of all, love. I was mentally swooning last night as Old Quil recapped the Quileute's heritage in a nutshell with the battles and Third Wife and Taka Ahi and all that other stuff.

What can I say? I'm a romantic, but you'll never hear me say that out loud.

And all the swooning wasn't from the legends either…they mostly came from a certain male person who sat next to me the whole evening and continuously did small things that made me think I was going to go into cardiac arrest…

Things like rubbing my back so slowly and sensually, brushing a leg with mine, 'accidentally' grabbing my hand while looking for a napkin, and of course, the mother of a flirt methods; pushing some hair off my shoulder and around my neck.

I was practically a puddle of jelly by the time we had to go and it was the literal of terms of 'parting is such sweet sorrow.'

I felt like such a sick mother fucker; I've _never_ acted like that before.

It was slightly appalling.

But I did manage to get dad home and settled down by 2 am, which then led to me crawling into bed and remaining there ever since.

* * *

I was moderately upset when dad came knocking on my door two hours after I woke up. I was still lying in bed watching cartoons and eating from a bag of cheap animal crackers.

"I'm going into to town to get a few things and wondered if you could wash off the back of the house." I gave him a blank stare and continued to shove deformed circus animals into my mouth.

"You can use the power washer underneath the porch. It shouldn't take long."

"Why can't I go to town and you wash the house?" That made more sense, right?

"Well…I was just going to the laundry mat and the grocery store, thought you'd be bored."

"We have a washing machine and a dryer, plus I already got food." Dad squirmed slightly in the door frame and tried to come up with another excuse. I stared him down for a good two minutes until he finally cracked.

"I'm going to go see Billy, okay?" He sighed and ran his fingers through his beard.

"Could have just told me, y'know." He nodded his head guiltily, like a toddler admitting that they stole a cookie.

"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just that being back here has given me a new source of energy and I think I just need to get it out of my system." I gave a small huff and pushed the bag of crackers away.

"You can go see Billy and I'll wash the house. You just can't get mad if I decide to wear my bathing suit." He contemplated this for a moment and then finally nodded.

"Deal." And quicker than that he was down the stairs, out the door, and up the street.

* * *

It was actually a pretty nice day in La Push; the sun was actually visible (I was so excited I looked directly at it and then burned my retinas), and there was no rain or wind. Today was perfect for being outside, which was exactly where I was.

Clad in my green and white striped bikini top and bottoms with a pair of shorts, I was out in the back yard power washing mildew from the vinyl siding. It wasn't the most glamorous job seeing as the water deflected off the house and back onto me, but then again I _was_ in a bathing suit, so there wasn't anything to worry about.

"_I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend_…" I was unconsciously singing along to the small portable radio I had managed to find and sit out on the back porch underneath the roof. I wasn't too familiar with the song, but had heard it enough to know some of the key lines. I was so engrossed in what I was doing that I didn't even hear the cordless phone ring or someone hit the doorbell. I just went on my merry way, signing outdated songs, living it up in the sunshine…

"ALOHA, MISS HAWAII!!!"

"OH HOLY JESUS!!!" My response wasn't exactly rational, but then again, neither was Seth's greeting. He had made me jump and whirl around to face him, me bringing the power washer gun along for the ride. The water instantly made contact with his body and he stumbled back few steps, the jet of water like charging horses.

I fumbled around and finally managed to turn it off, holding back my laughter as Seth composed himself and wiped water out of his eyes. I waited for a few seconds until he finally got his bearings and then couldn't contain myself. My laughter filled the whole back yard as I dropped the gun to the ground and made my way over to Seth, who was mumbling to himself about girls and guns.

"Sorry, dude, I didn't know you were back there."

"Yeah, I bet you didn't." I was about to give a witty response when Seth suddenly reached down and grabbed the hem of his shirt and began to lift it skyward.

"What are you doing!?" I practically screamed, making him stop mid-rise.

"My shirt's wet, so I'm taking it off. I figured that if you're half naked, I can be too." I felt like a fish gasping for breath as he successfully removed his shirt and threw it over onto the deck steps.

"I am not half naked, thank you very much." I finally managed to get control of myself and walked back over to my water gun.

"Well I don't see how a piece of fabric equaling less than a yard can be considered clothing." Seth's smile took up his whole face as he walked over behind me and admired my handy house washing skills.

"People back in Hawaii didn't seem to mind my lack of clothing, in fact I was in a bathing suit every single day. Everyone was." I looked back to see Seth roll his eyes.

"Besides my lack of clothing, what brings you over here today, my good sir?" Seth gave a small laugh and stepped up beside me.

"I would have come sooner if I had known you were in a bikini," His gaze quickly ran over my body, "but I was wondering if you wanted to go to the beach."

"I was just there last night." I reminded him with a small yawn; I was still tired from the festivities.

"I know; my mom finally kicked me out of the house at noon. Told me to go do something productive with my day."

"So you came here?" I'll admit that I was slightly flattered.

"Yeah," He admitted, "I came here." We smiled at each other for few minutes until the shrill ringing of the house phone echoed across the yard.

"I'll get it!" Seth was over on the deck before I could even realize what had happened. I couldn't hear what was going on, but from his excited movements he was talking to someone he knew.

By the time he hung up I was finished with my single chore for the day and was rounding up the power washer pieces.

"That was Kim," Seth said, coming over to help, "she said everyone's hanging out to day and wanted to know if you wanted to, too."

"Sure. Let me go change and I'll be ready to go." I heard a snicker across from me and looked up to meet Seth's gaze.

"You don't need to change. You'll need a bathing suit for what we're doing."

Why did that seem slightly ominous?

* * *

Seth was right when he said I'd need my bathing suit.

Kim and I were standing back at the treeline atop one of La Push's infamous cliffs. All the guys were out near the edge horsing around and trying to push each other off. We both laughed as they finally managed to shove Quil over the ledge.

"They're a bunch of idiots." Kim said, shaking her head and tightening her grip around her towel, which was wrapped around her tiny waist.

"I take it this is the only really amusement around here when the weather's nice?" I still had my shorts on, but had added a tank top at Seth's request when Paul couldn't stop staring at my boobs.

Pervert.

"Cliff diving has been around these parts for ages. It never gets old." I nodded in understanding; I had done a few cliff dives back home with my buddies to pass the time.

"I never get use to it," Kim was explaining, "It still scares me every time I jump."

"You're not scared; it's probably just the adrenaline." She gave me small smile at my attempt to make her feel better when Seth came running up to me.

He had already jumped six times.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" I played dumb.

"To jump!"

"Jump from what?" Seth had finally caught on to my mind game and grinned, making me grin back. He was about to respond when Embry and Paul came up behind him. For a fleeting moment I though they were going to grab him and send him sailing over the edge.

"She's not going to do it, man," Embry was laughing, "She's not a local!" I sent a mock glare at Embry, whose grin just simply widened.

"She's been standing back here for an hour now, I bet twenty bucks she doesn't go at all." Paul smirked, crossing his arms and looking cocky. By this time Jared and Quil had wandered over and was putting down bets too.

"Hey, hey, hey," Seth intervened, "if Caroline doesn't wanna go, she doesn't have too."

"I think she's chicken!" Embry laughed, flapping his arms wildly and 'ba-cocking'.

At that instant I felt my competitive side take over and marched over to Embry.

"Yeah, well, you look like a chicken! All tall and scrawny and covered in hair!" He immediately stopped laughing and grew serious, causing the others to grow silent too.

"Paul says twenty bucks I don't jump. What do you bet, Embry? A carton of milk?" The corner of Embry's mouth twitched as did mine, but we kept our game faces on.

"I'll bet twenty too. The only way you'll go off that cliff is if someone throws you." I stuck out my tongue and did an about face and charged for the edge of the cliff, stopping at the outer most point. There was silence behind me as I looked down.

It was a hefty drop, definitely bigger than what I was used to. The water was a deep navy blue and the under current looked a bit roughish.

Just the way I liked it.

There was a small fit of laughter as I turned back around and headed for the tree line.

"Told you she was too scared! All the newbies are the first time!" Embry made his way over to the ledge and did a victory dance, singing a made-up song about being rich. All but Seth was laughing, who was watching me with a curious expression. I was in the process of taking off my shorts and tank top when he came over to me, looking like he was going to say something. I racked my hair back into a pony tail and motioned for him to be quiet. When I was officially ready I gave him a quick wink and sprinted down the stretch of bare land.

Rocks stabbed into my feet as I got Embry in my scope and picked up speed. I passed the blurred figures of Paul, Quil, and Jared, and before they could even yell, I had catapulted both myself and Embry off the edge of the cliff. There was a single moment when we were both suspended in air, shock smeared all over Embry's face, until we started to fall, flying through the air in no shape or form, crashing towards the massive stretch of open water.

I braced myself for the earth shattering impact that happened when my body made contact with the water below. I was immediately suctioned underneath the waves and felt the familiar tug of an under-current pulling me down deeper. I fought against it and swam upwards through the murky water to the surface, breaking through.

Once my head was back up in the oxygen I saw Embry a few feet away, laughing his head off and cheering. I laughed back until another body crashed next to mine, catching me off guard and dragging me back into the depths. I struggled for a few seconds until opening my eyes and focusing on who was holding my hand.

Seth was even cuter under water.

He smiled at me and started paddling upwards, towing me along. We broke through to the surface together, laughing, and he pulled me closer in a watery hug. We floated like that for what felt like hours, but were really just seconds.

Something about it just seemed right; just seemed like _home_.

* * *

**_Once again I 'm really sorry about the suckish updates, but I'm going to have to re-type EVERYTHING I had written so far. I might even change the initial plot, but oh well._**

**_Drop me a review tellign me what YOU want to read. I'm open to any suggestions or ideas, and if anyone wants to find songs to go with the chapters, you are more than welcome and highly appreciated. _**

**_Thanks to all my returning readers and even you new guys. Until next time, Fluffy Nouget. ;)_**


	7. Chapter 6

_Alrighty guys, guess whose back? Back again? Fluffy's back, tell a friend! ~ Yup, that was me attempting to be cool. I already know no one wants to hear any excuses, so we'll just get on our merry little way here._

_This chapter is mostly a filler, but kind of important, so juts stay tuned and thanks so much to the readers who came back to see this! You're very loved! 3 Fluffy Nouget_

**When the Wind Blows**

**Chapter 6**

**Why Tally Ho When You Can Jai Ho?!**

Two weeks ago I became forty bucks richer by jumping off a cliff.

Two weeks ago was that last time I saw Seth and all the other guys, including Kim.

Since then, I've tried calling him ten times.

Can we say pathetic?

So I guess now would be a good time to admit that yes, I'm crushing on Seth. How could you not? He was cute, funny, stupidly goofy, and always seemed to pop when he bubbled his way into my thoughts…that of course doesn't count for these previous two weeks.

I was musing all of these things over when the doorbell rang and had to put down the pate I was washing. Dad wasn't home because I had finally forced him to go get a job at the hardware store because he was starting to hang around like dead fish. He hadn't even seen Billy in two weeks.

Coincidence? Fuck if I know.

Pressing the off button on the radio next to the sink, I put my plate down and shuffled through the house towards the front door. Things were definitely a little dull around here, a bleak shade of gray if I had to choose a color. Grabbing the door knob I opened the door and was figuratively blown off my fucking feet. There, standing with a slight scowl and a backpack, was Leah.

I've only seen and talked to her once since I've been here.

"Uh…hey?" I was at a total loss for words. She didn't seem to be very vocal either.

"You're dad said you'd need some company tonight and my mom forced me over here." She was grabbing the strap of her backpack so tightly her knuckles were white.

"Why would I need company?" I did the only thing I could think of and backed up, motioning her in with my hand. We both just stared at each other as she walked through the door and stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"He's spending the night with Billy. Didn't say why." How weird was this? Was I still in the 21st century, or had I somehow time traveled to the future?

"Alrighty then…I guess…uh...wanna go to the kitchen?" Leah nodded silently and I shut the door and locked it then shuffled around Leah and led the way to the kitchen. Once in the tiny ass room I resumed my position by the sink while Leah sat herself down at the table, her bag clunking to the floor. It was deadly quiet for a few minutes until I finally grew a set of balls and spoke up.

"I haven't seen any of the guys around here lately. It's like everyone was just wiped off the face of the planet." My statement was met with silence and I looked up to find Leah giving me a hard look. I squirmed for a few minutes until finally turning around to finish washing the dishes. I didn't even know Leah had gotten up until she appeared right beside me.

"The guys are off camping and should be back sometime next week. They go away for a few weeks sometimes, just to keep their inner manly-ness I guess." I nodded in understanding and didn't dare look up. The first time I ever met Leah I got the vibe that I shouldn't make eye contact or ask too many personal questions. The kitchen was silent once more until Leah cleared her throat and asked me if she could go through our fridge. I merely nodded while rinsing a plate. Behind me I heard her rummaging and mumbling about what we had. Bottles and jars rattled together as she pushed things aside to get a good look at everything. Moments later the noise stopped and I assumed she was done. Looking over my shoulder I saw her holding up a pineapple that I had brought with me from Hawaii. I didn't have the heart to eat it, but that was apparently going to change.

Poor Pineapple. God bless its fruity little soul.

Leah caught my eye and gave me a stiff smile.

"I've never really had fresh pineapple. We don't get too many up this way. I always just assumed the canned pineapples were the real thing." She shut the fridge door and carried the fruit over to me, setting it down on the counter.

"Hate to burst your bubble, but canned pineapple is shit. They put all that sugar in it to keep the flavor up while it sits on shelves. Fresh Pineapple is the way to go." She gave me an amused look while I emptied the sink and turned to her.

"You want some? I think I could use a good, natural sugar kick right about now." She simply nodded and I grabbed the pointy green leaves and a knife from a drawer and went over the wooden cutting board. I felt Leah watch me as I quickly sliced off the ugly brown rind and sliced the delicious looking golden yellow flesh, juice running everywhere. I looked back over to Leah and she came over, silently grabbing a slice in her fingers and shoving the whole piece into her mouth. She chewed for a few seconds, her eyes unfocused as she assessed the naturalness of it all. I waited impatiently for the verdict. I pretty much had sweat coming from every hole imaginable in the one minute it took for her to chew. Finally, she looked at me and I felt my heart stop. She seems to asses my face until a giant smile ate up her features. Somehow I knew this one was real.

"This is way better than that canned shit. Can I some more?" I gave small laugh of relief and motioned for her to help herself.

Who knew peace could be negotiated with a fruit?

* * *

Yeah, well, that peace offering, it didn't last long.

Between two teenage girls it didn't even stand a chance, so once again: Poor Pineapple.

"JAI HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" I laughed as Leah spun around, a pancake halfway hanging out of her mouth with syrup flying everywhere.

After our pineapple Leah asked if I had an iPod, which I did, so I went and got it and together we plugged it into her portable iPod radio that she had brought along. I was so jealous I told her I might steal it sometime during the night. She just laughed, something I didn't expect, but then realized she knew I was joking and we were good again. My iPod was on shuffle on so far we had danced around the kitchen like idiots and made pancakes at the same time. I won't go into detail about our cooking skills; let's just say there was more batter on the walls and ourselves than there was in the pan or bowl.

I laughed again as Leah twirled and syrup spattered my face. We had so far danced our way through Rick James' _Give It to Me Baby_, Pitbull's _Hotel Room Service _and_ Triumph_, some techno songs I got off the internet, and finally, the _Jai Ho!_ song from that _Slumdog Millionaire_ movie. Sure, the song wasn't in English, but it was catchy enough that Leah actually liked it. Simultaneously, we had gone through the two boxes of pancake mix that we actually owned and Leah was still hungry. Me and her were pretty much the same size, but I don't see hoe with all the damn food she ate!

_Jai Ho!_ had officially ended, and together we laughed at our own stupidity.

"I didn't put you down as listening to this kind of music." Leah laughed as she cleaned some batter off the wall behind the stove. I smiled and pulled the full trash bag out of the trash can.

"What were you expecting? Traditional Hawaiian hula music?" Together we laughed and slowly cleaned our way through the kitchen, making sure to get everything the way it was before our dance fest.

We eventually ended and hour or so later and migrated to the living room where we channel surfed until we couldn't find anything and settled on MTV where they were showing reruns of the VMAs. We talked about how awful Kanye West was and how Taylor wasn't really pop music, but still had a good video. We were about halfway through the awards when Leah yet again took me by surprise.

"What's your favorite color?" I looked over at her and found her staring intently back, being totally serious.

"Uh…yellow…?" It was hard to hide the surprise in my voice and she noticed it right away, letting out a large sigh.

"I'm…I'm not very good at making friends…specifically friends that are girls. I have a tendency to come across as a bitch. My mom sent me over because she's trying to get me out of the house more." I nodded in understanding, slightly knowing where she was coming from.

"The way I see it it's perfectly OK to be a bitch because someone needs to do it. Some people are just way too damn happy and need to have reality checks. Personally, I'm more than happy to supply that said reality check. Back home I was kind of a bitch too. I hung out with guys more than girls and people at school just assumed I was bangin' all of them at the same time." I gave a small laugh and looked back over to Leah. She looked a little relieved somehow.

"What did you do about?"

"Nothing." She gave me an incredulous look and I found myself smiling.

"I didn't do anything because I didn't care what they thought about me. The people who started the rumors weren't my friends, so what they said didn't bother me. My real friends had my back and knew I wasn't that kind of person. It was easy not to worry about someone you didn't care about." She nodded her head a few times and seemed to digest this.

"Did the rumors eventually stop?" I got a slight feeling that Leah had never really done any heart-to-heart talks. This was going to be interesting.

"Yeah, they did, especially after I started dating some guys that weren't my friends, but had met in classes and stuff."

"Dating, eh?"

"Are we Canadian now, eh?"

"No, eh, I was just wondering, eh?" We had a small fit of laughter until we got back to the topic at hand.

"Yeah, I had a short lived dating life. It wasn't anything spectacular because every guy I dated turned out to be gay." A stunned silence fell over the couch and I threw a sideways glance at Leah.

"It's OK; I give you permission to laugh." With that said her booming laughter filled the room, echoing off the walls and furniture. She was, in fact, laughing so hard that she had to beat her hand on the armrest just to get it all out. I watched silently as she wiped a few tears from her eyes and repositioned herself on the sofa.

"A-all of them?" I nodded silently and she once again went through another laughing fit. Minutes passed until she finally regained her composure and finally stopped laughing, pushing herself back up onto the sofa from her previous slumped position on the floor.

"Thanks…I really needed a good laugh." She smoothed out her shirt and fixed her messed up ponytail until she finally looked over at me.

"Anytime." She smiled and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. From there we once again channel surfed and made small talk about our favorite TV shows that we wished were on, Leah saying Buffy the Vampire Slayer (she gave a scary smirk at this) and George Lopez. I said Malcolm in the Middle and Family Guy.

We were about halfway through an episode of Robot Chicken when Leah finally turned to me and prepared to say something.

"I'm not very good at this whole girl talk thing, but about what you said earlier, with the gay guys," she gave a small Peter Griffin-like chuckle, "I just wanted to say this: you're going to find the right guy Caroline, you will. One of these days. I know what it feels like to have a broken heart and how it feels to be let down pretty hard, but if you're anything like I think you are, you're going to be just fine."

"Thanks, Leah that really means a lot to me. It really does." I gave her a smile that seemed to satisfy her because she turned back to the TV. I got a small feeling in my stomach that told me Leah definitely knew what she was talking about. She must have been hurt pretty bad if she was willing to give me a little spiel about finding the right guy. I found myself wanting to ask her about her dating life, but wasn't really sure if I should open that can of worms…if there even was one. I was right in the middle of an inner conflict when the kitchen phone suddenly rang out. I tossed the remote into Leah's lap and jogged in to the kitchen, grabbing the cordless phone in the process.

"Yello?"

"Caroline, is that you?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"This is Sue, Sue Clearwater."

"Oh, hey, sorry I didn't recognize you. How have you been?" It feels like it's been ages since I last saw this woman.

"Oh, fine for the most part, just some sinus problems. Leah's there, right?"

"Yeah, she's been here for a while."

"Great, would you mind putting her on, it's kind of urgent?"

"Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, sure!" I yelled down the hall for Leah and she was practically at my side in an instant. I handed the phone over to her awaiting hand and watched as she walked out of the room and into the dining room. Not wanting to be rude, hopped up to sit on one of the kitchen counters and strained to hear what she was saying.

So in a sense I was being rude, but not really, right?

Seconds later Leah re-entered the room and put the phone back on the charger. Her expression was unreadable and for a few seconds we just stared at each other, green and brown having a face off.

"I need to get home." I nodded, a little confused by her tone of voice. It was almost like she wasn't trying to give anything away, kind of like she was the first night I ever met her.

"Yeah, go if you need to. I-it was fun having you over, we should so it again sometime." At this she gave a tight smile and made a beeline for the living room to get her stuff. I practically had to run to keep up.

"I'll just leave the radio here and pick it up sometime tomorrow. You might want to use it again." Jesus, she already had the front door open and was standing out on the porch. Something must have been really wrong.

"Everything's OK…right?"

"Yeah, my mom is just freaked out…because the, uh, lights went out. She thinks our, um, breaker box is bad. She gets scared easily when she's home alone." I found myself half believing her stuttered sentences, but merely nodded and smiled.

"Well I hope you get it fixed and I guess I'll see you later?" She nodded vigorously and made a move for the steps, but stopped and turned back round.

"You're not planning on going out tonight, are you?" Her tone was almost begging to be defied and I desperately tried to swallow a gulp.

"Nope, didn't have any plans at all." She studied me for a few seconds before giving me a very tight lipped smile and seemingly sliding down the stairs. I watched her in the light if the porch light as she walked down the small stone path that led to the driveway and disappeared into night. I flicked off the light and closed the door, making sure to lock and deadbolt it. Just as I made my way into the living room the clock struck 3 a.m. and an eerie howl erupted from the forest.

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_Thanks to anyone who read, just note that you are greatly appreciated and I hope you review and keep coming back for more! Thanks, so much, Fluffy Nouget!_

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	8. Chapter 7

**_Whoo hoo! A whole 5 pages! That's about all I can seem to get, but hopefully that'll change once I get the story a little more evolved._**

**_REALLY,_****_REALLY,_****_REALLY,_****_REALLY,_****_REALLY,_****_REALLY,_****_REALLY,_****_REALLY,_****_REALLY,_****_REALLY,_****_REALLY,_****_REALLY HOPE YOU GUYS LOVE THIS ONE!!!! ENJOY!!!_**

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When the Wind Blows

Chapter 7

I'm Such An Asshole I Should Be Dressed Like A Donkey

The first thing I realized after opening my eyelids was that I was lying on the floor underneath our coffee table with a pile of fleecy blankets and a pillow from the sofa. I'm guessing I must have passed out shortly after Leah left and hadn't stirred since because the TV and lights were still on. Dragging myself from my army-like shelter I glanced at the VCR clock that read 10:54 a.m..

Strange; I usually never wake up until 11 or 12. I must be slipping.

I made my way to the kitchen where I ungracefully pulled out a gallon of orange juice and chugged away at my morning Vitamin C. Looking around I realized that dad still hadn't come home and was most likely still at Billy's. Grabbing the phone I found Billy's number on the caller ID and pressed dial, hoping someone would pick up.

No one ever did.

I even tried Leah and Kim, but that was pretty much pointless too.

Putting the phone down with more force than necessary I came to the conclusion that something was amiss.

Did the whole population of La Push just fucking die over night with me excluded? Taking the steps two at a time I went upstairs and changed from my mismatched pajamas into some jeans and my wool coat with plenty of layers underneath. My hair was pulled back into a messy side ponytail and I didn't even bother about makeup. Grabbing my cell phone off my night stand I once again tried calling Billy, Leah, and Kim. I even tried Seth.

Did I get any answers? Hell no!

Downstairs I turned off the TV and lights and made it outside. It was slightly foggy and there was a heavy due covering every exposed surface, even the car.

Wait…the car?

Looking out across the yard I saw our blue beaten up SUV parked in its usual place next to the low row of hedges. This severely confused the hell outta me because dad had taken it to work last night.

He had spent the night at Billy's.

Shouldn't the car be there, with him, at Billy's house?

I slowly made my way across the yard, an odd knot forming in my stomach. I wasn't quite sure what to think of this odd happening. Maybe dad did come home this morning and left the car because someone else picked him up?

Walking to the passenger side first I found that the door was unlocked and that the keys were still in the ignition. It was extremely cold inside, leading me to believe that the car had been here a while.

But why didn't I see it when Leah had left last night?

With the car door still open I stepped back to look over at one of the walls of forest surrounding our house. The knot in my stomach morphed into something bigger as the same feeling of oddness came over me like it did when I was walking to the beach that one day.

Something was seriously wrong.

Closing the car door I made my way over to the driver's side, but stop short. I don't know what it was, but something was compelling me to go over to the woods and look around.

Now I don't know about you, but going over to the woods was the last thing I wanted to do, especially after remembering what happened the last time.

But you know what?

I went over anyways.

My feet squeaked in the grass as I made a beeline for an opening in the wall of green. Slipping inside the world immediately darkened and the air grew colder from the lack of sunlight. I took about ten steps forward and looked back to find that the spot where I had entered had disappeared.

Right about now I would say something cliché, like 'the fog was so thick you could cut it with a knife', but I'm not.

Instead I'll say this: FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC. MY HOLE IN THE WALL HAS FUCKING DISAPPERED. I'M LOST IN THE WOODS…

…AGAIN!

Mentally smacking myself I stood there for a few seconds and just cursed myself to hell. What the fuck was going on around here?

I stood there debating what I should do, but suddenly stopped when a sudden noise broke though the white silence all around me. It started out as a small hissing, possibly a snake, but what the fuck would a snake be doing in this arctic place?

The sound eventually became louder and changed to a slight panting as it came closer. It reminded me so much of a dog, but why did it sound like this dog was the size of a baby elephant?

Squinting into the distance the fog cleared ever so slightly to reveal a small slope leading up to flattened bank littered with tree branches. Looking even harder I realized there was something standing up there, something unusually large.

My first thought was a bear, but what bear stands as tall as a horse and has long legs like a baby giraffe?

I involuntarily took a step back, hoping I would somehow find the whole in the wall and not die. As soon as I did this the creature atop the embankment took a giant step forwards as two other creatures came up behind it.

Oh my god…I was fucking dead where I stood.

Gulping, I took wild steps backwards; running into trees that I could have sworn weren't there when I entered this god forsaken forest in the first place. My breathing became frantic as I wildly turned around and flailed about, trying desperately to find my hole. Behind me I heard the fast rustling of leaves and heavier panting as I moved even faster and finally lost it.

Throwing caution to the wind a scream finally escaped my lips as I blindly sprinted forwards towards what I hoped was my yard, branches pulling at my hair and scratching at my cheeks. I could hear my own heart beat in my ears as I gave another hefty scream once I broke through the wall of vegetation and did a face plant in the front yard.

Tearing into the wet ground with my hands I scrambled to get up and half ran/half stumbled through the yard towards the car where I threw open the door and clawed my way inside, pressing the automatic lock at least thirty times while trying to remember to breathe.

One of my hands, I'm not sure which, flew to my chest where it landed over my heart to feel the rapid pumping of blood flowing through my body. My whole body was shaking due to the adrenaline and freezing temperature of the car. Closing my eyes I leaned back against the head rest and tried to calm down; tried to forget that I was almost a fresh helping of Kibbles-N-Bits for some wild animals.

My heart beats eventually slowed to a somewhat steady and normal rhythm and I almost had feeling back in my legs and arms. I was almost back to a state where my body was actually functioning properly when a sudden tapping on the passenger window shot everything back to hell and caused me to scream and scramble into the backseat where I curled up into the feeble position.

I was being such a pussy, but hey, I nearly just died people! A little sympathy wouldn't hurt!

Peeking my head between the two front seats I saw something I had only dreamed about for two weeks straight.

Seth.

He was looking in through the window with intense eyes and not even a smidgen of a smile on his face. This only made my odd day a little odder.

I crawled back into the driver's seat and flicked the switch to unlock doors and watched as Seth slowly climbed in. We sat there for a few minutes in silence, him not looking at me and me looking point blankly at him. I was just about to say something when he finally turned to me and apparently took in my Wildman appearance. He gave me the smallest smile I had ever seen from him as he reached across and slowly pulled a twig from hair. He held it up and slowly twirled it in his fingers.

"Should I really ask?" I was internally jumping in glory as I heard his humorous tone, but tried not to let him know. Instead I merely placed both hands atop the steering wheel and leaned my head forwards to rest upon them.

"Why is it you always show up after I get done running through the woods like a damn retarded kid?" I peripherally saw the corner of his mouth twitch upwards and did another glory dance.

"I don't know; running through the woods seems to suit you." He placed the twig in one of the cup holders and finally turned to completely face me.

"Why were you running through the woods, Caroline?" I felt like such ass I didn't even turn to face him.

"I honestly don't know…I woke up this morning and had this feeling that something was just wrong. Dad wasn't home, no one was answering their phones, the car was here when it wasn't supposed to be…and there's just some weird shit going on around this place." Seth grew quiet and seemed to pick my response apart in his head.

"I've been gone camping, sorry I never called you back any. I know you must have been kinda worried." At this I finally lifted my head from the wheel and looked over at him. A gentle smile was tugging at his features and he was in cargo shorts and sweatshirt.

And was it just me or was he sweating?

Leaning over I squinted at his forehead and noticed small beads of perspiration.

"Why are you sweating?" I could tell my question took him quick by the surprise on his face, but he apparently didn't care.

"I ran over here. Leah wanted me to pick up here radio thing."

"Oh." I went back to resting my forehead on the wheel. It grew quiet again until I looked up and noticed that Seth was leaning over a little bit too far.

"You know that you're safe here, right? That nothing can hurt you?" Confusion filled my head and apparently my facial expression because he slowly reached across and took a hold of my right hand.

"Do you understand me at Caroline?"

"In all honesty no, I don't."

"Well do you at least trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then do you believe me when I say you're safe and that everything will make sense when it's supposed to?"

"Isn't that slightly ominous?"

"Yes, but please just answer my question."

"Then yes, I do believe you, but I still think everything around here is royally fucked up." He flashed his infamous crooked smile at my words and leaned in closer, causing me to subconsciously lean too.

"You don't know how right you are." And with that said he slowly closed the distance between us and his lips met mine, causing warmth to seep into my body and my teeth to stop chattering.

* * *

Seth had to be the greatest pillow known to mankind.

We were currently on my living room sofa with the lights out and an empty bowl of popcorn on the side table. We were watching some cheesy direct to DVD movie I had bought at a yard sale years ago about some Mayan warriors and aliens. That's about all I could tell you.

It had taken exactly one hour for me and Seth to get out of the car.

And I already know what you pervs are thinking, so just stop while you're ahead.

We weren't making out or 'doing the dirty'…

…he had to actually convince me no wild critters were going to run up and snap my legs off once we were outta the car.

He eventually succeeded and held my hand all the way to the front door. Once inside he called home where his mom answered and explained to us that my dad and Billy were at Seth's having Sunday dinner and invited us along. We both told her no thanks and said we were both going to just hang around the house and catch up on things. Dad casually threw in that he was staying over at Billy's AGAIN and told me to take a chill pill.

He's in deep shit people, _very_ deep shit.

So that's the exciting tale leading up to cuddle fest on the couch. I was slumped over on Seth's shoulder drifting in and out of consciousness while he held my much smaller hand in his and played with my fingers. I was so relaxed until I looked up at the screen and saw two lovers embracing each other; a Mayan priest and a purple alien whore.

Quite the combo, right?

"Did you know your sister was here last night?" Seth heard my mumbled question and stopped fiddling with my hand.

"She was?"

"Yeah…she showed up sometime around 9:30. I was kinda freaked out when the doorbell rang and it was her."

"She does have a tendency to scare people." I heard Seth's smile in his voice and looked up at him.

"Leah's really not that bad. She can be fun and non-bitchy when she wants to. Personally, I'm glad she's kind of the way she is. I don't think I could stand too many Kims." Seth laughed at this and pulled me closer.

"There's a good reason Leah's that way."

"What's that reason? I kind of picked up on a broken heart kind of vibe." Seth looked down to meet my gaze and thought about his answer.

"You have to understand that Leah hasn't always been the way she is. A while ago she was so in love you would have threw up at the sight of her, but the guy she loved saw someone else and just left her. Flat out dropped her like a poop ball from a 747." I laughed at this which caused him to smile and motioned for him to keep going.

"Leah was pretty much devastated. She holed up in her room for a few months and we didn't see a whole lot of her. She eventually emerged as the bitter harpy she is now, but we still love her even if she's a little unruly." I felt my mouth form an 'o' and nodded knowingly. No wonder she had given me that little spiel last night; she had sort of been down the same creek I had been.

"Your sister isn't so bad; we actually had a great time last night. It was almost like I was back home hanging out." Shock ripped through my brain as I comprehended my own words.

Why the hell was I once again comparing this place to my home back in Hawaii?

Seth must have noticed my silence because he looked back down and gave me a small shake.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"If I told you I'd have to kill you." And the sad part is that I was being completely serious. I _would_ kill anyone who knew that I was starting to secretly love this place like it was home.

I even wanted to kill myself.

"Cee…you okay?" I only half registered that Seth had called me by my newly formed nickname when I turned to him.

"You and me. Tomorrow. Just us, all day, hanging out. Don't ask me what we're doing because I don't know. Just go along with it, okay?" He stared straight into my eyes and slowly nodded mere milliseconds later.

Good, he was going along with it.

"You think I'm crazy right now, don't you?" He flashed me a smile and just continued to nod.

"Your craziness is the reason I'm here. I just can't wait to see what you're going to freak out over next." I felt myself smile and didn't argue when he leaned down for another heart blood warming kiss.

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_I hope this sates you reading demons because the next update might be a little but slower, so just bear with me here. _

_And I love all this reviweing you guys are doing, so keep up the awesomeness!!_

_Much love, Fluff ;)_

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	9. Chapter 8

_Alrighty guys, here's another chapter that's slightly longer than usual. It would have been up sooner, but it was a difficult week at school so just bear with me here! It's majorly fluffy and is leading up to something that will hopefully be bigger and better, so stay tuned! Thanks for all teh reviews, I love what ya'll are ya doing!_

When the Wind Blows

Chapter 8

Who Needs Indian Spirits When You Have Sexy Boyfriends?

5:00 a.m. was, to me, and unholy thing. Who ever invented that time needs to be shot and their body stoned and dumped in a swamp with angry Alligators and Crocodiles to feed on.

There was, of course, a perfectly good reason I'm up this early and that reason is spelt S-E-T-H.

Who wouldn't get up for that?

Because I was a slow mover in the mornings I flat out skipped breakfast and instead headed straight for the shower. I didn't get a chance to get one last night because Seth had been here until 12 when my dad came home and practically kicked him out. I didn't throw a fit because dad's time was coming folks, and trust me, when it does, there's going to be fireworks.

I went through the usual shower, dress, and make up routine, while simultaneously putting on and taking off every article of clothing that I owned. Half an hour later the final product resulted in my hair being twisted back into a messy side knot and my bangs actually behaving properly. My outfit consisted of some slightly faded black skinnies from many washings and a gray long sleeved shirt with one of those fancy long neck type things that looked like a scarf, but wasn't really, with a tiger printed tank top over that just for kicks.

I clean up pretty well, huh?

I decided to diverge from my typical converse and go with a cheesy pair of black flats that, unlike everything I pretty much owned, did not come from Goodwill, but actually a Wal-Mart.

Shocking, right?

Spritzing on some cheap mango scented body spray I grabbed my phone and wool coat from the floor and pretty much skipped down the stairs with excitement. It was 5:43 and I had to be at Seth's exactly at 6.

He said he'd be waiting.

In the kitchen I scrawled a note to dad explaining what was going on and that I was taking the car because he didn't have to work and would be gone all day. I made sure to underline the 'all day' part just to emphasize on the fact that he was never home anymore and that we needed to come to some kind of understanding. I wrote down my cell number and Seth's just to make sure he had them, and then I was out door and in the car in a heartbeat.

~*~

Seth had assured me with 100% perfect confidence that he would be awake, dressed, and bright eyed and bushy tailed at exactly 6:00 a.m..

I tried my hardest not to get frustrated as I pressed the doorbell once again, making it the third time. Inside my pockets my hands jiggled with impatience and the sting of the morning chill. Just as I was about to give another go at ringing the doorbell, the door opened to reveal a slightly disheveled Sue.

Whoops, I forgot she would be home too.

"Oh my god, I'm such an idiot! I totally forgot that you would probably be sleeping in or something; it is a Saturday." Sue just yawned and shook her head, motioning for me to step inside. I eagerly accepted her invite, seeing as I had never been over to Seth's house and was slightly curious as to what was inside.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. I was actually up watching the news because Seth had told me to wake him at 5:30. Of course that was half an hour ago and I haven't heard any movement from up there." Together we looked up at the ceiling where I assumed Seth's room was right above us. Listening for a few seconds we both looked at each other and smiled.

"Two dollars he went back to bed." Sue contemplated this and shook her head, switching her coffee mug to the other hand.

"He knows you're supposed to be here, so I say two dollars he's in the bathroom making sure his hair's perfect." We shook hands with a small tinge of competitiveness and I followed Sue to the staircase where we both crept slowly upwards. Stopping at the top landing we both crouched down and stared down the small hallway ending with a window and small side table with picture frames. From where I was staked out I could see four doorways, three of them closed with a light coming out from underneath the furthest one, while the fourth door was flung open wide revealing a messy teenage room that could only belong to a boy.

A few more moments passed until a sudden creaking seemed to fill the house and one of the two unlit doors opened to produce a very rough looking Leah. Clad in flannel pajama pants and a tank top, she rubbed her eyes while walking towards our landing. Stopping at the last second she finally spotted us and did a silent 'what the hell' kind of gesture.

"Somehow I knew you two would get along in a freaky kind of way…" Leah muttered as Sue and I moved aside to let her down the stairs. Turning back to the doors we finally saw the lit one open to reveal a slightly sleepy looking Seth still playing with his hair; his head flicking this way and that to try and get that perfect windblown effect.

Unlike Leah he saw us right off the bat and tried to hide his blush by scratching his nose. Laughing, Sue and I crawled back down the stairs with a quiet Seth following us and found Leah in the kitchen.

"You owe me two dollars Caroline." Sue joked, as I fished in my pocket and pulled out my clipped together bills. Pulling two ones out I flopped them on the counter and looked over to see Sue smiling.

"Buy yourself something nice." At this she laughed and just shook her head. Arms encircled my waist as Seth come up behind me and rested his chin on my shoulder, having to crouch down slightly to reach.

"Do I want to know why you're giving my mom two dollars?" I laughed and shook my head, not really wanting to admit that we were betting on the boy's laziness.

"Are you finally ready, Mr. Perfect Hair?" Seth gave an exasperated sigh as I pulled his muscular arms from my waist and turned around to face him. He gave me a sleepy smile and leaned in for kiss, but I turned away so it landed on my cheek.

Dude, his mom and sister were watching…can we say awkward?

He smiled against my cheek, seemingly knowing that I was uncomfortable with showing public affection in front of his family. Trying to hide my blush I pushed him away and fidgeted with the hem of my coat.

"Well, we'd better be off so we can stuff done; lots to do and see!" Sue gave a laugh while Leah just shook her head as she rummaged though a cabinet looking for what I assumed was food.

"Where are you kidnapping my son to, Caroline; should I be concerned?" I looked up to find Sue smiling and waved her off like nothing huge was going to happen.

"Nah, we're just going to Seattle for the day." Seth gave an enthusiastic air punch and pretty much pulled me towards the front door.

Sue didn't even seem concerned.

"We'll be back around 8-ish I guess, and I have my phone so if you need to call or che—" I didn't even get to finish my sentence. Being an eager beaver, Seth had just blown his mom a kiss and yanked me right outta the house.

So much for promoting good family relations.

* * *

"Seattle, huh?" He asked, grabbing my hand and walking me to the car.

"Yup; I've been dying down here in all this greenery and nothingness so I figured Seattle would be a good day trip. You don't mind do you?"

"I could care less where we go as long as you're there to make things entertaining." We were at the car now, and instead of opening the door like a proper gentleman, Seth pinned me to the car door with both hands on either side of my head. He stared at me for a few seconds as if contemplating something and finally leaned in for the kiss that I had denied him the kitchen. I practically melted against the door and somehow moved my hands to wrap behind his neck to pull him down closer.

After what felt like a century, he pulled away and laughed at weakened state. HE steadied me as I attempted to smooth out my coat and fix my hair.

"Yeah…well… someone took his sexy pills this morning." Shaking my head to get my thoughts back in order I ripped open the door and scampered inside, trying desperately to ignore Seth's booming laughter that echoed off into the woods.

"Are we there yet?" Jesus Christ; he was worse than a two year old.

"Nope, and we won't be until another hour."

"Does that count as one of my questions?"

"No because it wasn't legit."

"So you're the question judge now; you get to decide what's legit and what isn't?" I couldn't stop the smile from creeping onto my face. Looking over to the passenger seat I found Seth smiling back with a Twizzler sticking out of the corner of his mouth as if it were a piece of straw.

"Yes, I'm the question judge and I'm ruling that as a non-legit question, so you have to ask two now." He laughed and took a few seconds to come up with a good one.

Ever since leaving his house we had played an extended version of 20 Questions, only it was more like 5,009. The questions themselves varied from stuff about our family and friends, our hobbies, school, the future, and just plain weird stuff like your favorite thing to do with a banana.

That one came with some loaded answers from us both.

You really don't want to know.

In the time that we've been driving I've learned that Seth's favorite main entrée is his mom's take on lasagna, his favorite dessert is chocolate pudding and that his favorite salad dressing is Spicy Italian. I also now know that his favorite animals are wolves, he loves being outside and doing all that sporty stuff, and that he hates jellybeans.

We got into a large argument over that last fact that almost resulted in me going across the median and into on-coming traffic.

Since then we've tried to keep things rated PG-13.

Seth's favorite childhood memory was him and some other guys stealing model rocket kits from the old Hobbie Shop in La Push by shoving them down their pants. He then continued to say that the owner, who was gay and most likely a pedophile, would check out their 'packages' which was actually the stolen goods.

I got a really good laugh at this and had to actually pull into a gas station so we could sit for thirty minutes where I tried to calm down and where Seth got out to get breakfast; a.k.a bags of junk food.

"Alright, I got two." He turned in his seat to look at me, a serious expression on his face.

"'Ok, hit me with 'em." I prepped myself for something odd seeing as we were starting to get down to a more personal level.

"Here it is: Paper…or plastic?" I felt my jaw drop in shock.

"Really Seth, really? We've been though every category imaginable and you decide to go with what kind of bag I get at the grocery store?" He merely shrugged and shoved more Twizzler into his mouth.

"Hey, I asked you a question and now you have to answer."

"Fine; plastic. Happy?"

"Oodles!" I rolled my eyes at his cheeky answer while simultaneously exiting the interstate and entering the on ramp that led to Seattle. Seth grew quiet as he watched the beginnings of the city start to pass, but asked his other question.

"What were your summer plans before you found out you had to move here?" That was a very good question that I was going to have a very hard time answering because of the personal-ness of it all.

Sensing this, Seth turned back to me and studied my face.

"Well…the first thing I would have done would have been to go to the summer party my high school has on the beach every year. They always send off the seniors, kind of like a group graduation party and I always wondered what it'd be like, but it's not all it's cracked up to be."

"What do you mean? You're going to be a senior this year, right?" I looked over at my passenger and frowned.

"Nope. Dad told me a few months ahead of time that we would be moving, so I opted for early graduation so I could celebrate with my friends. I guess you could say that it was pretty bittersweet because I had been with them since we were in diapers." Seth's face pretty much fell when I said I wasn't going to be going to school with him this year.

"Don't get all sad and teary eyed on me now; I'm not going to college yet if that's what you're thinking. I have to live here for a year before going off to spend dad's retirement money, so you're not getting rid of me that easily." At this he perked up considerably and almost smiled.

"So what else would you have done?"

"Uh, sleep in till three, eat breakfast for dinner, party every other night, and surf every single day. I was actually going to sign up for this huge surf contest and tried to convince dad to let me stay, but he wouldn't. I didn't talk to him for weeks."

"So you like surfing then?"

"Like it? It was my life. Some days me and the guys would skip school just to go surfing. I've been in a lot of contests and that's mainly where all the money I've saved up has come from. I hoping it'll be enough that I can fly home for Christmas."

"You really want to go back, don't you?" I adverted my eyes at this and smiled sheepishly out the windshield.

"Is it that obvious?" Seth unexpectedly chuckled at this and I found myself laughing also as we finally entered the city limits.

* * *

"I wish I was a fish."

" Oh really now?" Seth was currently standing behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist and his chin on my shoulder. Earlier I had told him to stop doing it because he was going to hurt his back from stooping over so much, but he just merely laughed me off.

"Yup, fish just swim around all day and have eyes that can go in different directions." At this I laughed and reluctantly untangled his body from mine.

"I think you're getting fish and chameleons confused, Nature Boy." He smiled and leaned in to peck my cheek, his hand finding mine.

"Am not; chameleons have legs, fish don't. So ha!" Smiling once again, I just slowly shook my head and let Seth pull me away from the coral exhibit we were looking at.

The Seattle aquarium didn't offer many exhibits, but I was glad nonetheless that we were here and having a great time…even if it was raining outside. I had specifically chosen the aquarium out of my own selfishness because it was the only place that actually reminded me most of Hawaii.

Seth really didn't seem to mind when I told him this, he seemed to be happy enough that I was with him.

"Where are we going now? Are your Indian spirits telling you what to do?" I laughed at my own little joke while Seth merely rolled his eyes and continued to pull me through both the tidal and deep sea displays. Earlier we had seen a sign across the street from the aquarium telling people that Navajo Joe could set them on their path of destiny and find the inner link with their spirits.

I tried my damnedest to get Seth to go in, but his horror stricken face was enough to send me off into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Ever since then I've kept asking him what his Indian spirits were like and whether or not they could command us to go get something to eat.

"They are telling me something, actually." I stopped smiling at this and tugged him to a stop, only it felt more like pulling on a car going 50 mph down the street. He turned on the spot and dug something out of his pocket, practically shoving it in my face in minimally contained excitement.

I have to say I was pretty shocked when it turned out to be a flyer advertising the Seattle Pier.

"You seriously want to go to a pier?" I read the wrinkled up piece of paper, noting that they were open and would be closing in a couple of hours.

"Why; you don't like them or something?"

"No, I love piers; I just didn't think you'd want to go. You surprised me, that's all." Seth smiled like he had achieved a Nobel Prize and grabbed my hand once again, practically dragging me towards the exit.

"I never really knew of anyone else who loved walking out on giant structures made of unreliable wood rotted from sea air and natural causes." I saw Seth shake his head and gently nudge people out of our way.

Holy shit…I think I just fell further down this rabbit hole of developing relationships.

Yikes.

* * *

Seattle pier was dinky compared to things I grew up with back home.

Sure, it was nicely made, didn't rock with the waves, boards didn't creak when you stepped on them, but hey, it was just another thing that made me feel closer to normal.

After leaving the aquarium we found that it had stopped raining and that the pier was only a mile from the aquarium, so we decided to walk it.

I tried once again to get Seth across the street to Navajo Joe, but he merely gave me a dark look and pulled me down the sidewalk.

We picked up some food from a corner deli and decided to take it out onto the pier, where we currently are, eating our sandwiches and fries.

It was a quiet affair, the only real noise coming from a few fishermen behind us who were so fat they had to grunt every time they moved.

I looked over to find Seth watching me finish up my meal quietly. He had finished his food in mere seconds; his three large grilled chicken sandwiches, five orders of fries, two apples, and a half dozen chocolate chips cookies.

"Did you even smell it?" I mumbled around my mouthful of Tuna salad, hoping I didn't look as piggish as he did when eating.

"I did actually, the cookies smelt awesome. A little too hard though; I like 'em a little doughy." I smiled at his whimsical expression; he seemed to be pondering an ideal life with the perfect kind of cookies.

Seth let me finish my food in silence and even gathered up the trash and threw it away, all the while insisting that I just 'chillax' and take in the view.

There wasn't much to take in, a few fishing boats and the Seattle skyline; the pier was in the harbor, not out on the ocean.

I joined Seth where he was leaning against the railing, looking down into the water; we were at the very end of the pier, completely alone. I pressed close to him as a small wind picked up and cut through my coat.

"So what's with you and piers? I didn't put you down as the type." I let my head fall unceremoniously onto his shoulder…well it was more like his bicep, but I still felt him shrug.

"I don't know…I guess because it was the first place my dad and I ever went together without my mom and Leah. It was somewhere in Oregon. It was pretty cool because it stretched out over the ocean and I just felt like I could reach out and grab the horizon. It was pretty cool."

"Did you and dad do a lot of stuff together?" I knew that his dad was no longer with them, but his face just seemed to light up when he talked about him, so I guess you could say that we were having one of those touchy-feely moments.

"We did when I older, like 8 and 9 because he couldn't really handle small kids too much. He was never one to use baby voices or get really enthusiastic over playing tractors or Barbies." I gave a small laugh at the thought of a grown man with dolls.

"My dad didn't even try that hard. He bought me a bag of those little green army men and we'd come up with strategies to take down the enemy. Fun times, right?" Seth merely laughed along with me until he shifted so that one of his arms snaked around my shoulders, pulling me slightly in front of him so he could lean over in a slightly protective stance.

"Do you ever miss your mom?" His question took me a little quick, and he must have noticed because he gave me a slight squeeze.

" Sorry, did I hit a nerve?" I felt bad for making him worry that he had went too far and quickly recovered.

"No, it's fine. I'm just getting ready because I've answered this question so many times, but every time it's never been completely honest. Does that make sense?"

"…OK, I admit, you've lost me a little." I didn't need to turn around to know he was slightly smiling.

"When people ask me that I usually say that yes, I do miss her, almost every day of my life, but really I'm just lying because I don't want to labeled as an ugly person…the truth is that I don't miss her at all because I've never even met her. She died right after she popped me out, so how can you miss someone you've never known?" Seth leaned his head down onto my shoulder, his breath tickling my face.

"I don't think you're ugly; I think you're beautiful. It takes a lot of guts to say something like that out loud." I felt myself blush and slowly rotated in his arms. Reaching up I took his face in my hands and stared at his dead in the eyes.

"Seth Clearwater: you are too perfect words, has anyone ever told you that?" He simply smiled and leaned down to touch his forehead to mine while somewhere in the distance a fog horn sounded and a fat man grunted.

"I've never been told that, actually. I kind of like the way it sounds." I smiled and braced myself for what would come out of my mouth next.

"Alrighty then, now I have another question."

"Shoot."

"Are you in any way, shape or form, gay?" He suddenly laughed out at this, causing several looks to casted our way. I managed to rope him back in, his laugher still echoing out across the harbor.

"I assure with 100% confidence that I am in no way, shape, or form, gay." A huge sigh that I had been holding pretty much all day was finally released; the anxiety that I was out on the town with another gay man gone.

"I in fact like girls very much…especially you." And with that said he leaned in to release upon me a smoldering kiss that pretty much had the pier rocking beneath my very feet.

* * *

_Thanks again for all your reviews and just keep in mind that I'm trying to write longer chapters...which means more time between updates, but at least you get more! So be happy! _

_P.S. you knwo what to do with that button down there, so get to it!! Thanks, Fluff :)_


	10. Chapter 9

Alrighty then. Here I am, back again, after a very long abscence and much illness. Sorry for the very lengthy break here guys, but I haven't been feeling up to par lately and am still slightly sickish. I know you don't want excuses, but thanks to everyone and anyone whose still reading and commenting. I love you so much!

This is a lot shorter than the last, but hopefully I'll have a longer, better chapter in a week or so. Thanks again!!

_When the Wind Blows_

_Chapter 9_

_P.M.S. : God's Practical Joke On Female-Kind_

To say I was pissed would be an understatement.

In fact, I don't think there's a word in the English dictionary that even remotely translates into what I'm feeling right now.

Three weeks ago I had the best date ever.

_In my life_, actually.

I haven't seen, heard, or talked to Seth since.

And let me tell you; I am _more_ than royally pissed.

Today marks the beginning of the fourth week since I've seen my boyfriend…if he can even be called that.

Why is it that after every amazing moment we have together, he randomly disappears for long, unexplainable periods of time?

And you know what his answer is whenever I ask?

_Camping_.

How fucked up is that? There are only so many times you can go camping in one month, let alone one week.

I was Facebooking with a friend back in Hawaii when halfway through my ranting and raving the doorbell rang, causing me to use unnecessary force to log off the computer that instance and sprint to the door. I must have looked like a crazy chick right out of one of those crappily made Edgar Allan Poe movies; face chalky pale from adrenaline, hair frizzed and unwashed beyond belief, and most importantly, a deranged look in my eyes.

I think the poor UPS man actually wet himself when I ripped open the door and practically snarled when I saw it wasn't Seth.

"S-s-sign here, p-please." He slowly extended his arm towards me, as if the clip board in his hand would somehow protect him. As gently as I could, I grabbed the pen and board and signed my name with a flourish and forced a smile onto my face. The delivery guy simply gave me an unsure smile back and gestured to two large boxes to his left, all while simultaneously walking backwards to the stairs.

Yes UPS delivery man, you should be very afraid.

I stiffly waved him off and used my Incredible Hulk-like strength to stack the two boxes and carry them up to my room. They weren't too big, but slightly smaller than your average box, but guess what?

_They still would fit through the fucking door frame!_

I had a fit of screaming, all the while cursing the cardboard box industry and pulverizing the boxes until the edges smashed in and they practically flew into the room.

I remained in the hall, wondering just what the hell was going on with me.

Why should I care so much about an M.I.A boyfriend?

He said he'd always be around for me, right, so why worry?

I'm just overreacting; making a galaxy out of one little supernova…even though that is slightly possible, but for the sake of my sanity, we'll say it's not.

Taking a few deep breaths I waited until my ragged breathing had become slightly normal and entered my room. I kindly stacked the boxes by the bed and got undressed for a shower, deciding that a weeks worth of unwashed hair and funky pits was just plain unattractive.

It took an hour to completely wash, rinse and repeat and apply the basic beautification process. In the shower I had decided that a nice little trip to the beach would be good for me, seeing as I haven't left this godforsaken house in three weeks and the weather outside was actually bearable.

I opted for a slightly different clothing style, layering some Daisy Duke shorts from my Aloha days over some thick, but breathable black tights, paired with some red Keds I got from my Seattle trip along with an authentic pale yellow _Chat Noir_ T-shirt that matched the poster on my wall.

That was really the only reason I got it.

Grabbing a hair twisty I pretty much massacred my head, knotting my hair into an indescribable bun that looked more like a bird's nest than a hairstyle and flopped around near the base of my neck. I thought it looked pretty cool, but to the average person I probably looked like some glammed up hobo.

Oh well, there's a first for everything, right?

I didn't bother grabbing my phone off my desk because I knew no one would call anyways. Not Leah, Kim, Seth, or even my own father.

How sad is that?

I didn't even lock the front door behind me; I highly doubted that anyone would even want to break in and steal our crappy shit, let alone go near our retarded looking house.

I took the path through the woods to the beach, no longer scared of any furry monsters that could pop out and eat me; today I think I might actually give them a run for their money.

I was at the beach in minutes, walking faster than normal to blow off some excess steam and to tire myself out so I could actually sleep tonight. There wasn't much to look at except for a few tide pools and washed up wood, so I slowly meandered down the strip of sand, thankful for the few rays of sunshine that actually penetrated the clouds. I was about halfway down the beach when a fat little sand crab scurried away from my walking path and back into his hole.

It was then that my stomach started growling.

And at the sight of a crab, no less.

~*~

The little La Push Stop n' Shop owned by Embry's mother, or so I had heard, was only about a block away from the beach, easily within walking distance, and I found my feet automatically taking me there, seemingly hungrier then my stomach.

I was there in no time and smiled when I pushed open the door and sent the tiny bell above my head into a ringing frenzy. As usual no one was at the register, but there never was when I stopped by, so I proceeded to just wander down the aisles debating what to buy. Digging in my pockets I realized roughly had about three dollars and seventy nine cents.

Good thing this place was cheap.

I eventually ended up in the sugary goodness aisle (a.k.a the candy aisle for those of you not up to hip, youth lingo) and bought a bag of marshmallows and jellybeans along with a 2 liter bottle of orange soda.

Quite the health nut, aren't I?

Over the top of the aisle I briefly saw a head of black hair and assumed it was Embry's mom (supposedly) and hurried to the cash register, hoping she'd see me and I wouldn't have to stand around for fifteen minutes like I usually did.

I got quite the shocker when I reached the end of the aisle and saw that it was actually Embry who was stationed behind the register, a cheeky little grin on his face.

I practically stalked towards the counter and unceremoniously dropped my items.

"Haven't seen you in forever, we all thought you were dead or sumthin'." A forced laugh of 'ha ha ha' escaped my mouth, which made Embry's smile falter just a smidge.

"That's funny because I thought all of you were dead seeing how I haven't heard from anyone in three weeks." His smile was completely gone now, replaced with thinly veiled panic. We stared off for a minute or two until his gaze finally faltered and he made a show of ringing up my stuff. Just as he grabbed my marshmallows I smacked my hand down, pinning them to the counter.

"Embry, Embry, Embry…we're friends, right?" He gave an almost unnoticeable gulp and nodded.

"Good, I thought so. Now I'd like to ask you another question, which I'm sure you won't mind, right?" He gave another nod, the beginnings of a scared expression on his face.

"Is there any specific reason as to why everyone's avoiding me and not answering my phone calls? Is there something going on I should know about?" Embry's head was shaking back and forth so fast I thought he'd break his own neck and die right then and there.

"Pha! Caroline! You're so funny! Why would you even think that!?" His answer was overly enthusiastic and too forced to be real.

"Then why is it that everyone else is supposedly off camping and you're here?" At this his head immediately stopped shaking and we once again found ourselves in a stare off, which I ultimately won…again.

"I…um…my mom's sick…yeah, so I'm sticking around helping her out and stuff. That's why." I didn't buy it for a second. Shaking my head I pulled out the three rumpled dollar bills and tossed them on the counter to cover my 2.56 total. Grabbing my things I gave Embry one last, long, and final look. In the fuzzy fluorescent lighting I could see sweat beads starting on his forehead. I gave him a cheap half smile and headed for the door, stopping half way to turn back around.

"I wish someone would stick around to help me out. Keep the change." The bell above the door no longer sounded perky and chipper; instead it sounded dull and lifeless, just like La Push.

~*~

I managed to find a good piece of washed up wood that was dry and durable, meaning it wouldn't implode when leaned upon. I was already half way through the two liter bottle of soda and marshmallows when I dozed off the sound of the waves and semi warmth of the sun.

I was awoken by a noise that seemed to be a cross between a breathing horse and panting dog. Groggily, I opened my eyes, making out a blurry image a good twenty feet away. As my focus became clearer I felt my body automatically freeze in panic.

There, merely seven or eight strides away, was the biggest fucking wolf I had even seen.

National Geographic had nothing on me!

I swallowed hard and watched as the wolf watched me. It was lying down; its chin resting on its front paws that were bigger than dinner plates. Its fur blended in perfectly with the sand, maybe a shade or two darker. It's large chocolate brown eyes stared at me, unblinking, almost as if they were trying to convey some sort of message.

_Yeah, a message to massacre you!_ my subconscious screamed.

I sat very still for what felt like hours and practically jumped out of my skin when the creature raised its head from its paws and gave a lazy yawn, its gaze never leaving me.

I shakily raised a hand to my face and tried to wipe away the nervous sweat that had broken out across my forehead.

Was this thing ever going to eat me, or was it simply going to sit there and stare at me?

"For one of God's loveable creatures you sure are a sadist, ya know that?" It merely cocked it's freakishly large head to one side, as if it actually understood me. A sarcastic laugh left my mouth.

"Great, I'm going to be killed by a smart ass in the form of a wolf." Looking up at the sky I once again rubbed down my forehead, trying to calm myself and not make any sudden movements. The wolf stayed in its position, never moving forwards or backing away, just staring at me.

And I stared back.

"For a giant wolf who romps around in the woods making me think I'm crazy you're actually kind of cute…in an Air Buddish sort of way, I think." As soon as the words left my mouth I felt like an utter retard.

"Great, I'm talking to a mutated dog. Fabulous." I figured since it hadn't killed me yet I was safe to reach for a marshmallow, which I did, and popped it into my mouth, savoring the flavor as if it was my last meal…which it might very well be.

Looking back at the wolf I saw it lick its chops and heard what must have been a whimper, only it sounded like the purring of a small pick-up truck.

"Hungry, aren't we? I guess since you haven't even me yet you're here for the sugar." I grabbed another and marshmallow and tossed it into the air and gave a small yelp of surprise when the monstrous mutt before me jumped up to catch it. I tried to catch my breath while the beast chewed for a few seconds and once again licked his chops and looked over at me expectantly.

"More? Jesus, you are a sadist animal!" I was answered with a bark of what I swear to you sounded like laughter followed with some more, happier sounding whining. I shakily stumbled to my feet, trying to crawl backwards over the log. I grabbed my soda and jellybeans in one hand and dumped out the rest of the marshmallows with the other, leaving a small peace offering in the form of a pile of sugar.

I backed away slowly; my line of vision never leaving the wolf. It wasn't until I was about halfway away from it that I stopped and just stared at it staring at me.

"Guess there's something in the water after all. See ya around, pooch." Taking a leap of faith I actually turned my back on the large creature and started my way back up the beach towards home.

Things are definitely shaping up to be pretty odd around here.

* * *

So there you go, another chapter for you all to ponder about while I'm off popping Mucinex pills and fallign asleep in Algebra 3!!

GO ON, REVIEW, YA KNOW YA WANT TO!!!!


	11. Chapter 10

This latest abscence of the new chapter is due to the fact that my father was on a website that he shouldn't have been on and picked up a nasty virus that ate it's way into our motherboard. Lovely. Thanks dad, you alaways now how to fuck up life!

Anywho, sorry if i sound bitter, but you would be too if your computer was gone for a good three or more weeks. Oh well, ENJOY!

_**When the Wind Blows**_

_**Chapter 10**_

_**Life Doesn't Need A Reason To Come Back Around & Bite You In The Ass**_

I find it absolutely fucking hilarious that someone would mail this to me. Let alone waste the time and money to pay for the shit load of stamps stickered to the front.

The plastic bag was roughly the size of a composition notebook and weighed next to nothing. It had been torn and duck taped back together multiple times, resulting in the effect that it literally looked like a truck had run over it.

The said package was sitting on my lap where I was lazily slumped over on the porch steps, staring at nothing in particular wondering if death would be any more exciting than this. I still haven't seen Seth in god knows how long, but alas, my father has returned from the dark side.

He's in the kitchen attempting to make something edible as we speak. Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning and found him in the kitchen drinking coffee and reading the paper.

I almost had a shit fit.

"How's the yard captain; keeping a weathered eye out?" He laughed as he plopped down next to me, a dish towel stained with what looked like green snot thrown over his shoulder.

"I don't know, why don't you go out and ask it?" My sarcasm obviously went over his head because he merely laughed and clapped me on the back.

"Always the kidder, eh? Whatcha got there?" He grabbed the package from the lap and rotated it in his hands, inspecting it as if it were a rare gem I had dug up from the beach.

"I don't know, it came while you were out getting groceries. There's no return address or anything on it and I don't even know if that's our address." Dad plopped it back on my lap and just shook his head, laughing at nothing.

"Open it and see what it is; it's not like it's going to kill you."

~*~

If I wasn't so fucking pissed right now, I'd find my father and ram his last words to me down his fucking throat. My knuckles were white from gripping the frail piece of white paper so tightly that it could have spontaneously combusted.

Earlier I had taken my father's advice and opened the package. While I was doing that the phone had rang and dad ran to answer it and came back to say – surprise! – he was going to Billy's for some kind of emergency. I waved him off, thinking this was the typical lifestyle right about now, and didn't think much of it. Dad turned off the stove and told me to feed myself and he'd be back in a bit.

I continued to open the package, even less excited than when I got it, and had a shit fit that brought the grand total of the day to two.

Laid out before me were three letters, all in official-looking envelopes that were blindingly white and crisp.

It's easy to say I was fucking confused. Who would send three regular sized envelopes in a package that looked like King Kong had gotten a hold of it?

I grabbed the first one off the top of the pile and tore into it; slipping my finger under the fold and slicing it open and pulling out the paper inside in one fluid motion.

The letter was folded in thirds and upon opening it I saw the University of Hawaii crest in the top left hand corner, the cheesy gold color of the font sparkling feebly in the porch light.

"Dear Miss Mavnik," I read out to no one in particular, "we regret to inform you that your early acceptance to the University of Hawaii has been terminated."

_Oh._

_My._

_Fucking._

_God._

"We accepted your application under the conditions that you required full financial aid and had obtained numerous scholarships and sport related sponsorships that would enable you to attend our university. However, it has been brought to our attention that the mentioned scholarships above are only valid for in state students and expire within a year's time. It is also in our knowledge that you are no longer a residence of the State of Hawaii and have also been dropped from the VZP sponsorship program. We are sorry for the late notice and any convenience this may have caused on your part. We strongly recommend that you reapply for the next school year seeing as you are an above average student that we would love to have in our community.

Thank you for your time,

Lanolin Hoi, Admissions Director"

As if in slow motion the letter fell from my hand and seemed to take forever in floating down to rest at the bottom porch step. I stared at the space in once occupied in front of my face, my hand still poised as if it were actually holding something. Blinking as if in a daze, I deftly took the second letter from the pile and tore it open in the same fashion as the first, this time holding my breath for what was coming.

This letter was from my sponsorship; mainly the man that was my manager and had helped me get to where I was since I was eight.

"C,

Sorry to do things like this, but the director says that we can't sponsor slackers and that your school of choice is too expensive to handle. You haven't been answering my phone calls or other letters, so I'm hoping nothing has happened to you. I'll try to see if I can get the director to reconsider, but right now he's leaning more towards kids going to a community or minor state college. Tough luck kid, but you'll knock them down eventually. Hang in there!

Todd"

Figuring it couldn't get much worse than it already was, I ripped open the third and final letter with the utmost confidence that it would some sort of happy news.

Guess what? It wasn't!

Why would it be!?

All it took was a simple skim of the first paragraph before I was sprinting through the yard and peeling out onto the street, my flip flops smacking against the wet pavement and my left palm bleeding from where my nails were digging in from holding onto the letters for dear life.

* * *

I knew I was nearing Billy's house because our car was parked in the driveway. I was fucking soaking ass wet when I finally slowed to a jog and then eventually a pissed off speed soon as my foot landed on the first square foot of the property the front porch door flew open and two people I really did not want to see stepped out.

"Hey, Hawaii, don't you know you can't surf in the rain?!" Embry was practically mocking me from where he stood. Next to him a smirk slowly crawled onto Paul's face. Both were clad in just low slung shorts and seemed to be gate masters to Billy's front door.

Bracing for impact I marched across the yard and up the steps, my shorts and sweatshirt plastered to my body and flip flops quacking like ducks.

"I need to see my father," I received blank looks. "_It's an emergency_." Even more blankness.

"Fine, be walking dicks, I don't have time for this!" I attempted to squeeze through the two human towers, but got nowhere.

"You can't go in there right now. Your father and some of the elders are having a meeting. No outsiders." Paul was practically stiff arming me from getting to the door.

"What do you mean 'no outsiders'? My dad hasn't been here since he was a teenager; doesn't that make him an outsider?" Embry shot Paul a worried glance and reached around me to grab my hood, resulting in a large tug to pull me backwards.

"Dude, what the fuck!? It's an emergency and I demand to see my dad! What the hell is going on around here? Aren't you two supposed to be camping?" My voice was growing louder and louder by itself, which made the two meatheads advance forwards to make me back down the stairs.

"We just got back from camping Caroline. No need to freak out. Just go home and your dad will be back in no time."

"_Do you not fucking understand the definition of 'emergency'_? What the hell is going on?!"

"Dude, bitch, calm down! What's going on around here in none of your fucking concern, so just go the fuck home!" Paul was practically screaming in my face, which didn't set well with me and resulted in more screaming.

"Don't tell me to go the fuck home, Paul-whatever-the-hell-your-last-name-is, because I want to know why everything and everyone in this whole goddamned place is acting like its on crack!" Our faces were inches apart and boiling red, something Embry must have saw as a warning sign because he quickly placed himself between me and Paul.

The humor and Embry-ish gleam were gone from his eyes.

"Just go home Caroline, everything's going to be fine."

"The last time someone said that to me they fucking disappeared without a trace for weeks, so forgive me for thinking that you're lying!" Embry was now corralling Paul back up onto the porch, both of them shaking like they had shivers or something.

I was about to follow them up when a sudden fog-horn like bark came from the woods and stopped me dead. Turning my gaze I saw my sandy colored wolf from the beach joining us in the yard, followed a smaller, gray wolf with the same chocolate hued eyes.

"I just can't get a fucking break today can I?!" The two wolves slowly maneuvered until they were at the end of the porch, watching my every move.

Practically growling in frustration I stormed the porch stairs until I was right up in Embry's face. Paul was off pacing to the side, still shaking like a tree in the wind.

"You listen to me, Embry Call, and you listen good. I literally ran all the way over here because I just got kicked out of college, dropped from my sponsorship, and am living in a house two months behind on rent. You let me through that door this instant or I will personally guarantee that you never have children as long as you live." We stared off for what felt like hours until he finally broke his gaze from mine and turned to look over his shoulder.

"Billy." Sighing in anger I retreated a few steps and watched as Billy silently rolled up the porch screen in his wheel chair and set me with an even gaze.

"I need to see my father. It's an emergency." The porch grew quiet except for the panting of the wolves.

"I'm sorry Ca—"

"Lemme handle this Billy." My father suddenly appeared behind the paraplegic, a small trace of anger on his face. As if in slow motion he opened the door and stepped out, holding the door open for Paul and Embry to enter behind him. He stepped out further on the porch and let the screen door slam shut with a deafening 'snap' and fixed me with an even gaze.

"What's the meaning of this Caroline? I don't have time for your melodramatics." I freely let myself snort in disbelief.

"That's rich coming from someone like you, but then again I'm not really surprised."

"Oh yeah, and what exactly does that mean, young lady?"

"You moved us here in the first place because you were afraid of old age and death! How's that for drama?!" I yelled, throwing my hands up in a 'what-the-hell' kind of gesture. This only provoked my father to march forwards and grab my upper arm and drag me out into the yard and freezing rain.

A wolfish whimper reverberated across the yard.

"I did what I thought was best at the time. Don't go blaming your problems on me, Caroline, just because you can't get your way." That was the final straw. Wrenching my arm form his grip I whipped around to face him full on.

"Save your bullshit for some other asshole because you know damn well I'm not mad about moving here!"

"Then what are you mad about?"

"_This_!" I screamed, flinging the three envelopes into his chest and stomping the ground in anger. He slowly peeled the paper from his wet t-shirt and turned them in his hands.

"You told me you gave Todd our new address and notified the school." I tried to bar all emotion from my voice as he continued to slowly handle the letters.

"You promised me that everything was taken care of."

"It is."

"NO, IT ISN'T! If everything was fine then I'd have money and an actual college to go to." He grew quiet once again and shuffled the envelopes like poker cards, stopping at the third and final one.

A sadistic laugh bubbled in my throat.

"That's the best one, you know why?" He shook his head.

"We have two weeks to pay two month's worth of rent or we get kicked out." His fingers finally stopped moving as he looked up to meet my enraged glare.

"I'm so sorry Caroline…I've been busy."

"_Been busy with what?!_ God knows you're not busy being a father because you're never home! _You're always over here!_ Even in Hawaii you were off doing whatever the fuck it is you do by yourself so why should it be any different now?!" I stepped forward to snatch the disintegrating papers from his hands and started for the car.

He once again grabbed my arm.

"What are you doing?"

"What the hell do you think I'm doing? I'm getting in the car that I paid the bill on last month and I'm going to go pay the rent for the house that I live in by myself! That's what I'm doing! If you have a problem with that then I can pack up your shit and leave it on the front porch and you can pick it up whenever you get the time to wander back around that way! Now fuck off!" With that I ripped myself free and practically tore the door off its hinges in my anger to get in and go.

I only halfway succeeded due to the fact that my door was immediately pushed back shut and I was pulled away from the car. Expecting it was my father I turned around with a mouthful of words that would make a sailor blush only to have them to melt like snowflakes on my tongue.

"You need to calm down. Why don't you come over to my place and we'll get this sorted out." On any other day I would have been over the moon to see Seth.

Today however was just not my day, so of course everything just got ten times worse.

"Oh, nice of you to finally show up! Sorry, but you missed the fireworks." He was latched onto a fist full of my sleeve.

"C..."

"Let go Seth, I have shit to do." I averted his gaze and surveyed the yard, noticing the absence of my father and wolves.

Of course, why would they still be here?

"Please calm down, please?" Dear lord, was he begging me?

"I know exactly what you're going to say because my father tried the same thing."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"The whole 'it's okay, don't worry Caroline' spiel he spouted earlier. Just do yourself a favor and save it. I'm pissed off, soaking ass wet, and not in the mood." I finally looked back into his eyes and together we had a stare off, his gaze eventaully faltering beneath mine. He released my sweat shirt only to move both hands up to my shoulders as if to brace me.

"Can I tell you a secret?" I threw back my head in annoyance, anger still fresh in my blood.

"Really, Seth, really? Right now? Here?"

"Yeah, it's important." I reached up to smack my face and hopefully massage the pissed off expression out of my muscles so it wouldn't look permanent.

"Fine, fire away then. How much more hellish could this day possibly get?"

_**"I'm a werewolf."**_

**_

* * *

_**

Bwa ha ha ha!! Fianlly, a good and juicy cliffhanger!!! ....well I think so. If you lemme know what you think then there might be a quicker update!! Bwa ha ha ha!!


	12. Chapter 11

Oh my god you all are awesome!! According to some math I did I'm getting about 5 reviews per chapter, which to me is freaking spectacular, so keep 'em coming!

And, like I said, a new chapter just becuse of all the love i recieved. And thanks to all who could relate to my computer dilemma; this chapter was written so fast mainly to say THANKS!!!! 3 ENJOY!

_When the Wind Blows_

_Chapter 11_

_Where's A Goddamn Bottle Of Vodka When You Need One?_

**_"I'm a werewolf."_**

"Yeah," I laughed, "and I'm obviously the queen of Africa because you know I'm so black and all." I seethed out, shoving my paler than usual hand into his face. My once evenly tanned skin had faded to a shotty milky white complexion due to lack of sun light and a recent shoot up of blood pressure.

Feebly attempting to smack his hands away, we somehow managed to back up until he had me pinned against the car, our breaths coming out in small fog puffs due to the ever dropping temperature.

"I'm being serious Caroline."

"Well that makes one of us…"

"Please, listen, it's the truth; I can prove it."

"Knock yourself out. Go crazy, I really don't care." He half sighed and half growled in annoyance and took an almost unnoticeable step backwards.

"Can you lose the attitude for five seconds? This is really important!" My god…was I actually getting some anger riled up in the usual happy-happy joy-joy kid?

"Seth, I don't see how this is important. You can't be a werewolf; they're fictional creatures made up by nerds in the 1700s or whenever that had no popularity and couldn't get fucked. That's not you!"

"But I am one, C, can't you piece it together?" At this point I turned around and resorted to banging my head against the frosted glass window of our car in time to my own heart beat while Seth just rambled on.

_Thump, thump, thump, thump…_

"The stories at the bonfire, those are real! They aren't just legends; they're the history of our tribe and how we came to be able to do this! Are you even listening to me?"

_Thump, thump, thump, thump…_

"Caroline!"

"_What!_" I exclaimed, whipping around to face him. His whole body language was practically pleading with me.

"Seth, there's no way in hell I can believe this! Do you even listen to yourself when you talk? This whole thing you have going on is crazy and completely delusional!"

"But it's not! The others are werewolves too! Paul, Embry, Quil, even Leah. Sam's our alpha and we exist to fight vampires!"

"Now vampires exist too?"

"Are you always this hardheaded?"

"I don't know, you tell me! You're the one who disappears for weeks on end then magically pops up when I'm pissed off or something and can't answer a phone!"

"I know and I'm really sorry, but when I'm not here I'm out patrolling…not camping. I'm protecting you."

"From what? Evil Tree Furbies that probably live in ferns and only exist here too?!" At that Seth grabbed fistfuls of his curly hair and backed away a good two steps.

"You can't see anything past your own little bubble dreams can you? You only see what you want to see!" He halfway growled at me, his jaw clenched and his body slightly shacking.

With that said the world seemed to grow deathly quiet and the only movement around came from the pouring rain. We had a stare off, Seth's eyes mesmerizing as usual, only this time a hidden emotion was crammed between the layers.

Was it hurt? Sadness? An insanity this planet has never known?

Shaking my head to clear the ever growing fog inside, I turned away slightly before stopping to give one last parting shot.

"No, Seth…I see reality and logic. When you grow up on military bases and living at a neighbor's house more than your own, you don't have time to play make believe or read happy fairytales. I didn't have that luxury as a kid and I sure didn't have any bubble dreams. They sound like fun, though." And with that I got into the car and started it without any problems or interferences.

As if in slow motion I backed out of the driveway, Seth never moving from his spot in the yard, while my father, Billy, Paul, Embry and Leah watched from windows and the front door with what could only be explained as tragedy written on their faces.

* * *

Melted to the floor and leaning back against the front door was the only position I had been in for an hour. Ever since I entered the deathly silence of the house and pulled off my sweatshirt and shorts I hadn't moved an inch, which was not uncommon for me.

I'm just one of those people who doesn't have to be constantly on the move or in motion; I freely admit that sitting silent still is just the way I like it.

My phone however didn't like that idea. It's been ringing off the hook ever since I got home, just like my cell phone, which now has no battery in it…just to make sure it stays off. I haven't even bothered to check the machine to see how many messages there are.

To pass the time I've been counting the seconds between calls, the highest number being only 30 and a half.

Is it even possible to have half a second?

Just as I was pondering this the phone rang once again, shattering the golden silence I had been relishing in for some time.

Deciding it was time for action I forced myself off the floor and slumped up the steps to my room. Clad in nothing but black boy short underwear and a tank top I felt oddly comfortable and warm despite the lack of heat in the house. Rummaging around on the floor I found a semi clean pair of jeans and a dark gray swoopy neck sweater that I managed to find in Seattle.

I grudgingly pulled them one and managed to finger comb my still wet hair into what can only be called a braided bun held together with too many hair clips and rubber bands to count. Considering myself presentable enough I grabbed my bag and wallet from the nightstand and headed back down stairs only to find that something wasn't right.

When I came up the stairs there were no lights on anywhere; none what so ever.

Leaning around the living room corner I could see the kitchen lit up like New York on New Year's Eve.

What the hell?

Slowly and quietly I edged further into the living room door way that led to the kitchen only to see the fridge door pulled open and someone that wasn't my father huddled down behind it. I couldn't really tell who it was at all.

"Who the fuck are you and why are you in my house?" The figure behind the door didn't even jump at the sound of my voice or even reveal themself.

"Don't get your panties in a twist C; I'm hungry, that's all."

"_Embry?!_" I screeched, charging up to the fridge door and slamming it shut, forcing the over grown native to jump easily out of the way.

"Still pissy, I see."

"Still in inconsiderate asshole, I see." He merely laughed off my insult and bit onto the apple he must have found in the crisper drawer.

"How the hell did you even get in here? All the doors are locked!" I growled, looking over at the back door to see it exactly as I left it: locked.

"This." He said around a mouthful of fruity flesh, holding up the spare house key from underneath the gnome on our front porch.

"I didn't ever think you'd go upstairs." He shoved the key back in his pocket and leaned against the counter, relishing in the fact that I was absolutely dumbfounded.

"How'd you know the key was there and that I was by the door?"

"Your dad told me and I could smell you." I felt myself blink and my blood pressure rise once again.

"You could smell me?"

"Yep."

"How…?"

"It's a werewolf thing." With that I officially smacked the apple out of his hand and did an abrupt about face and practically ran to the front door, bag and car keys in hand.

"Dude, what the fuck!?" I heard him exclaim from behind me, followed by his hurried footsteps to beat me to the front door.

"I'm tired of this shit and I'm going out for the night. I don't give a fuck what you do; if the house burns down you'll be doing me a favor, so just go for it!" I exclaimed, my hand inches from the knob.

"Sorry, C," Embry said, coming up fast beside me to hip-check me roughly to the side, "but my orders are exact: you're not aloud to leave the house unless you agree to come with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with your overgrown ass."

"Then I guess you're under house arrest."

"No, I'm not, I can do whatever the fuck I want, this is my house."

"Well…it use to be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Means I'm taking over."

"Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged."

"Great, you'd be doing me a huge favor!"

"…oh Caroline…"

"Fuck you." With that I turned and marched back up the steps, seething at every inanimate object I passed. Embry's booming laughter echoed up the stairs behind me, mocking every fiber of my being and making me even more pissed. After slamming my door shut I aggressively dug through my bag until I found my phone and battery and reassembled everything until it was once again working. Scrolling through my contacts list I found my dad's number and hit the green 'send' button with more force than necessary. He answered after the first ring.

"What the hell, dad, you sent Embry over here to babysit me?!" Embry probably heard me through the floor.

"I didn't want you doing anything reckless since you're so angry, so yes, I sent Embry over."

"I don't need a babysitter; I've been doing fine by myself, thanks."

"I'm sorry Caroline, but your safety will always be my number one priority." I snorted in disbelief and was rewarded with a very long sigh.

"Please don't be difficult."

"Too late for that, and trust me, it's not my fault."

"Caroline…"

"Whatever."

"Can you please just listen to me for one minute, please?" Wow, two people begging me in one day; I'm on a role.

"Fine." I grumbled, not loving the fact that Embry was most likely listening through the door in the hallway.

"Just go with Embry, he's going to take somewhere and we're going to get this all straightened out. I promise you that nothing is going to happen."

"Yeah, sure, that _doesn't_ sound exactly like a murder movie plotline at all."

"Please Caroline?" I threw this idea around in my head, weighing everything that could happen and everything that has.

"Fine." I breathed, hating myself for caving so easily.

But truth be told, I'm just really starting to run out of energy to be in a perpetual state of anger.

"Everything will be fine honey, I promise."

"Yeah, and how many times have I heard that one today?" I laughed, pressing the 'end' button and dropping the phone to floor.

~*~

"Congratulations, you've officially gotten us lost in the woods and it's starting to snow. Thank you, Embry Call,_ thank you so much!_" For this I was rewarded with a very girly eye roll and small shove that actually made me stumble a bit.

"Don't you know steroids can shrink your nads?"

"I'm not on steroids."

"Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that." Another eye roll and sigh of annoyance.

At least I was getting somewhere.

Location wise that wasn't the case.

We were out in the middle of the woods, snow lightly falling around us instead of the god awful rain we had earlier. Embry's just in shorts and cheap sneakers where as I'm clad in my wool coat and rainbow beanie and still freezing my ass off.

And I have no idea where we're going, just that my house is about a fifteen minute walk from where we are.

"We're here." Embry finally grunted after a comfortable silence ended our squabbling.

"We're here?" I repeated, looking around the large clearing, still green and leafy as the rest of forest despite the cold.

"And where is here, exactly? Home of the Evil Tree Furbies?"

"Why, you their long lost queen?"

"Fu—"

"Enough!" A deep voice sounded from across the clearing. Swallowing my words I opted for an annoyed sigh until some rustling bushes caught my attention and I watched as Sam Uley stepped out from behind. He was dressed just like Embry; shorts and shoes, which by now was normal to me…I guess.

I've only ever met this guy once, at the bonfire that happened what felt like years ago. He was obviously a leader around here the way Embry obeyed him.

"It's nice to see you again Caroline, if only it was under better circumstances."

"Ditto." I sighed, looking down at the ground and kicking around a twig.

"Do you know why you've been brought here?"

"Sacrilegious offering to the heathen gods of greenery?" I said looking up and nodding towards a tree totally engulfed in greenery. At this Sam actually gave a small smirk and shook his head.

"I'm glad it was you."

"I know, right?" Embry agreed perkily with him from my side.

Now this totally threw me for a loop as I completely had no idea what the hell was going on and had no problem voicing my concern.

"Yeah, well, that's great and all, but would someone please tell me why I'm in the middle of the woods freezing my ass off?"

"In time Caroline, in time." I physically had to bite my lip and clench my fists in my pocket to refrain from telling Sam where to shove his time.

"We brought you here so you can fully understand what's been going on."

"Alrighty."

"All you have to do is be as open minded as possible and not freak out."

"Can't make any guarantees."

"That's why we have Embry."

"Like that makes me feel a hundred times more comfortable." Sam grinned and shook his head before looking over his shoulder and whistling some kind of bird call. Seconds later the wall of bushes to my right began to quiver until the grey wolf from Billy's house earlier today slowly slid out and walked the width of the clearing.

Of course I automatically took a step back and collided with Embry's chest, making him give a small bark of laughter that was quickly silenced by a look from Sam.

"I'm sure you've seen some of the wolves around here Caroline and you know they're not your every day hunters."

"Uh, yeah…sure."

"The wolves around here are special because they protect our land and borders from outsiders who try to harm us." Sam was now standing only a few feet from us and together we watched the wolf in the clearing slowly lower itself until it was lying on its side.

"Would you like to touch it?"

"Nope…I'm fine." I choked out, squeezing my arms in closer to my sides to keep in body heat and to not let it be noticeable that I was scared shitless.

I felt Embry shift behind me.

"These wolves are special Caroline because they allow the legacy of our tribe to live forever. Do you remember the stories?" He waited patiently for my response, which had a slow time forming in my brain.

"Uh, third wife, wolves, cold ones, sacrifice…and death somewhere along the line…right?"

"You fell asleep half way through didn't you?"

"…yeah…but it wasn't my fault! Seth was rubbing my back and it just felt so good and I was so cold…and…yeah…" Embry gave some kind of grunt behind me that strangely sounded like a crappily veiled laugh.

"At least you got the basics…" Sam seemed to mumble more to himself than anyone else.

"But yes," He said, directly addressing me this time, "that's the gist."

"OK…and this is all important to me how…?"

"This is important to you Caroline because your father is Quileute and that means you have Quileute blood in you which means these legends are the history of your lineage." It's safe to say he lost me at that point.

"You brought me out here to go over my family tree?!" I softly wailed, not actually believing this day could get any more jacked up.

"Sort of…" Was Sam's response. Helpful, right?

"You do know my mother wasn't Quileute, right? She was born in Hawaii then moved to Virginia when she was three then moved back to Hawaii when she was seven."

"I'm aware of that."

"Oooooookay…"

"I'm getting to a point."

"Then hurry the fuck up before my snot freezes into chopsticks."

"I wasn't aware you were Asian."

"Jesus Christ people get on with it!" At that Sam and Embry actually laughed out loud, breaking the silent tension of nature around us.

"Fine Caroline," Sam laughed out, trying to calm himself, "here's your point." And with that said he did another one of his bird whistle thingies and the bushes once again shivered until out popped –guess who! – SETH! He was pretty much naked save for the pair of cheap knit basketball shorts slung low on his hips that I admit had me slightly drooling.

"We figured you were more of a visual person so we put together a little demonstration."

"…uh…a PowerPoint would have worked too…" I mumbled, trying to look anywhere but the 'V' right below Seth's bellybutton.

"Just remember to keep an open mind and not freak out." I jumped at Sam's word, not realizing he had moved so he was right beside me. Peripherally I could see Embry flanking my other side.

Seth was intently staring at me until his concentration was broken by a hand gesture from Sam that seemed to say 'come on, let's go' followed by an encouraging nod. These actions had me feeling skeptical of this whole scenario, but full on confusion and shock finally hit me when Seth took a running leap across the clearing and burst into fur.

In a way it was majestic how he leaped into the air and as if in slow motion and his body elongated and his appendages shifted until they were canine in appearance. Landing solidly and quietly on the forest floor he turned his large sandy colored head towards me and gave what can only be described as a wolfish grin.

Literally.

And how did I respond to all of this?

The usual.

"OH HOLY MOTHER FUCKING MOTHER MARY OF JESUS AND JERUSALEM!!!!" It wasn't until now that I realized Sam and Embry had each been holding my arms, which freaked me out even more and resulted in more screaming.

"Let her go, Embry!" I heard Sam yell over my screams, which I was highly thankful for. Once I felt that I was free I had no problem doing a complete 180 and taking off sprinting in the direction of the house. Behind me I heard barking and more yelling, but this only enticed me into running faster. Branches slashed into my face as snow blew into my eyes and blinded me in second long intervals of watery blindness. I was making good distance because through the trees I could I could very dimly see our deck light, a beacon in this not-so-fun-anymore Wonderland.

* * *

Well, there you have it folks, the final free for all answer C's been waiting for. Hope you all enjoyed it and just F.Y.I this has been the longest chapter to date, so yay!

**And I need your opinion on something, so please read:** _Should there, or should there not be a lemon in here somehwere? I've never written one, but would oddly like to try, **so lemme know what you think and drop a line in a review! THANKS!!!!**_


	13. Chapter 12

_**When the Wind Blows**_

_**Chapter 12 (my numbering is so off, sorry!)**_

_**Blood, Blood, Blood, Mosh, Mosh, Mosh, Scream, Scream, Scream!**_

Three weeks.

504 hours.

Six rainstorms.

Snow.

Mushrooms and moles.

Trees.

Nature.

Boredom.

Waiting.

Forced patience.

It's safe to say that I've never been a real list-y kind of person until I met Caroline. Ever since our last encounter in the woods she's been holed up in her house for three weeks; 21 days, 504 hours.

Now I don't know about you, but for me that's a lot of hours to spend in just one place; trust me, I should know. I've been out here in the woods for almost the same amount of time, waiting for some sign of life from the house that's only a half-mile from where I'm sitting. It was routine almost.

Wake up, eat half the fridge for breakfast, kiss mom on the cheek, pick a fight with Leah, patrol a bit until I could pawn it off on someone else, then make my over here to wait, then eventually head home and do it all again the next day.

Sam said it's all I can do.

Sometimes I switch forms, just to keep things interesting; human-wise I can't see the forest as clearly as night as I can in wolf-form, but then again it' so much easier to climb trees with hands that have opposable thumbs.

It's pretty much a win or lose situation.

A movement to my left easily caught my attention; it was an American Goldfinch, Washington's state bird. It appeared to be foraging, its bright yellow feathers an eyesore against the muted browns of the Earth. It obviously didn't care about the presence of my large, furry body as I laid on a pile of leaves and unconsciously swatted at a few sticks of various sizes out of sheer boredom. The bird simply hopped around, pecking about for seeds or some other food product that could get it through the winter. I almost felt sorry for the poor thing; it was waiting, like me.

Waiting for food.

Waiting for spring…I'm assuming.

Aren't they supposed to migrate in the winter anyways?

Stupid bird; you were supposed to go south.

I was really starting to get into my own mixed-up thought process of why this little bird would refuse to fly south when a sudden scream broke the silence and sent the creature rocketing into the sky for safety.

I was on my feet in no time and flawlessly reverted back to my opposable thumb self, struggling to pull my shorts on as I tried to run across the yard.

In a way I was almost thankful for the scream; it was Caroline's.

I should know; I've definitely heard it enough.

I was right at the bottom of the front porch steps when the door flew open and Caroline stumbled out, her hair piled into a sopping wet bun that was dripping down onto her bare shoulder. She was clad only in a sports bra and shorts with a red jacket only halfway on, only one arm in the sleeve. Her other arm was wrapped in a towel that was once sky blue, but was now splotched with thick crimson blobs that looked a lot like blood.

The smeared handprint on her thigh and face only verified these observations.

It was evident on her face that she was shocked to see me; we both stood there facing each other, neither of us quite knowing what to say.

She swallowed from nerves.

I advanced a step up.

"Come on C, we need to get you to the hospital." I extended a hand, hoping this would help in some small way. She simply stared at it, actually contemplating it over, until I took the stairs by two and grabbed her uninjured arm and pulled her down the stairs.

"I swear to god Seth Clearwater if you take me to an Indian medicine man you will never live to have children!" I laughed at this, knowing it'd just make the situation worse, but hey, at least it was something.

The waiting had finally paid off.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but we're not going to a medicine man, we're going to the hospital because, you know, that's where normal people go for large, gaping wounds." I heard her snort in defiance behind me.

"Last time I checked there was no such thing as 'normal' around here." I just shook my head as I pulled her around to the passenger side door of her car and opened it. Finally being able to see her face I could tell that she still had mixed emotions about this whole situation: me, La Push, Washington, her dad…werewolves.

Just to name a few.

"In the car…please. You're bleeding and I honestly don't think you can get anymore stubborn…please." With one last miniature glare that could only come from her, she got into the car and finagled with the seat belt until it was securely on.

To say the least it was hilarious to watch.

Hiding my smile, I went around to the driver's side and climbed in, turning the key that was already in the ignition and proceeded to back out. Caroline was busying herself by messing with the radio stations and grumbling lowly about 'the evil existence of porcelain' and 'goddamn suck-ish radio signal because of the god forsaken trees'. I merely smiled and shook my head, letting her have her moment before we actually got down to business. She continued to turn the dial for some time before finally landing on a station that played a mix of oldies; motown, disco, light rock, and various other tunes.

Finally sitting back in the seat she protectively covered her injured arm, squeezing the ever darkening towel tighter to keep pressure.

"You want to talk about it?" She didn't look over at me, but instead kept her eyes firmly on the greenery rushing by.

"Which part?" I admit I was slightly surprised that she heard me; I was pretty sure she was mentally singing along with The Supremes rather than listening to me.

"We could always start with your arm because, you know, it's gushing blood…" I suggested with a shrug, slightly trying to bait her.

"I fell." She stated, almost as if it were the answer to the world's problems.

"You fell." I repeated, still baiting.

"Yeah, I fell, you know as in the verb 'to fall'? I fell."

"Doing what?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well to fall to have to be doing something."

"No you don't."

"Yeah-huh. You expect me to believe that you were just sitting around and randomly fell and sliced open your arm?" Oh yeah, we were getting somewhere!

"Kind of like how you expect me to believe that you haven't been stalking around my house for that past three weeks?" The way she said it, just oh-so-casually, almost made me slam on the brakes in 'oh shit!' kind of way.

"Did you really think I haven't noticed? God, Seth, do you really think I'm that stupid?"

"I, well, it's just that…I didn't want…no." She gave a small snort at my ramblings.

"You made me feel like shit for crying out loud! The way you'd just wander on over and sit outside in the pouring ass rain and just look so goddamn sad and depressed! It's enough to kill someone…" She trailed off, resuming her position of looking out the window.

That's when I really did slam on the brakes.

Both our heads and bodies simultaneously flew forwards with the momentum of the car, the seat belts the only things holding us down.

Adrenaline made me turn and point an accusatory finger right into Caroline's angered face.

"Ohmygodyoutriedtokillyourself!" The temperature within the car suddenly sky rocketed, something that must have been noticeable because Caroline put down her window and swatted away my finger, her angry expression less extreme.

"For the love of god Seth, really, are you five years old again?! I did not attempt suicide; I'm much more classier than that!"

"But—"

"I was downstairs cleaning out the kitchen and found a box of these fugly old dishes that had to go. I got a stool from the pantry and tried to get it down, but dad being dad, forgot to mention that the stool was built in the frickin' fifties and couldn't even hold a loaf of bread. So down went me and down went the box of dishes. Porcelain pretty much slices on contact. I practically landed in it face first." She explained, her non-wrapped hand running through the hair that had escaped the bun.

I slowly lowered my arm and turned to face the road in my seat. Caroline leaned against her elbow propped on the window sill and eyed me with an unreadable expression.

"So…you didn't try to kill yourself?" I said softly, relief spreading all over like a cool mentholated rub.

"No, Seth, I did not try to kill myself. Can we go to the hospital now; I'm running out of towel to bleed all over."

* * *

"Have I ever mentioned how much I _hate _hospitals?" Caroline's death grip on my hand only tightened with her words. She had grabbed it as soon as we walked through the front door and hadn't let go since.

It was like heaven in one of those cheesy love-struck ways.

"Don't worry, I've got you lined up with an incredible doctor; the best in the area actually."

"Well aren't I on cloud nine with a golden lyre praising the lord…" I gave a small laugh and gave her hand a comforting squeeze, something that didn't really help at all because she was still sweating from nerves and gulping air.

She sort of reminded me of a fish out of water.

I was about to tell her this, wondering what her reaction would be, when the nurse who had checked us in came over with her clip board. She eyed Caroline's arms for a few long seconds, obviously wondering about the large amount of yellow duct tape.

"Dr. Cullen will you see you now Miss Mavnik." She announced with an empty smile and monotone voice.

"Can he go back with me?" The death grip was back, as was a new deadly expression that oozed 'you say no and you will be eating that clipboard for dinner'. It took all I had not to laugh or even give a twitch of the mouth.

The nurse simply nodded and jerked her head down the hall to our left, motioning for us to follow her. We both complied; me willingly and Cee after a few tugs to get her up out of the chair. She was starting to look a little pale, whether it was from blood loss or her phobia of hospitals I couldn't tell.

The nurse had us trotting along at a fast pace, something I was thankful for because I was really starting to lose the feeling in my hand, but also because of Caroline's ever growing whiteness and shakiness. We finally stopped at a room at the end of the hall that had nothing in it but a wooden table with a padded top and a counter of various medical instruments.

It was nothing short of an elementary school nurse's office.

Then again it was the Forks hospital, so in a sense it was an elementary school…sort of.

"You can just sit on the examination table, the doctor will be with you shortly." And with that the nurse left; we weren't even graced with one last expressionless smile.

I helped Caroline up onto the table and waited until she was situated until leaning back against it next to her, my right hand still in the deadly grip of her left.

"You're right-handed, aren't you?" I asked out of the blue, wondering how bad this whole thing was going to go down.

"Yup, guess you'll need to write everything for me."

"Like slave labor?"

"I guess you could call it that."

"Hmmmm…nice." I turned to face her, a 'what the hell?' expression clearly on her face.

"Did you just say slave labor was 'nice'?"

"For anyone else I wouldn't have." At this she actually smiled and shook her head, clearly amused by my antics.

What can I say, I'm adorable?

She was about to say something else when the door slowly creaked open and our saving grace stepped in. I may not have seen him in a while, but he was still the same as ever; unchanged and smelly.

"Ah, Seth, what a surprise to find you here. I see you brought a friend!" Carlisle shut the door behind him and pulled out a pair of latex gloves from the box on the counter. He put them on in a timely fashion, not snapping them on like most doctors who would try to intimidate their patients.

"And who is this beautiful young lady?" He looked at me, an eyebrow quirked in immediate understanding.

"Uh…Caroline Mavnik…sir." Death grip, death grip, death grip.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you," He extended his hand for a polite shake, something I knew Caroline wouldn't shirk him of, "I'm Doctor Carlisle Cullen, an expert here for accidents." I found myself smiling at the inside joke. He would mention klutziness when his own daughter-in-law was a magnet for it.

"Now it says on your chart, Miss Mavnik, that you had a bad run in with some porcelain dishes. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, may I take a look? I can't help but wonder about your unique bandaging skills and whether or not they'll come off."

"Well if Seth hadn't stopped halfway here I wouldn't have needed to duct tape it, now would I?" She said through clenched teeth, her hiss meant only for me. Carlisle gave a small chuckle and motioned for me to back up a little, something I was thankful for now that my hand was finally free.

The good doctor took his time in peeling off the duct tape, smiling occasionally and shaking his head. I'll have to ask him later if he's ever had anyone with this much duct tape. Caroline kept surprisingly still through the whole process, staring blankly at the wall and unconsciously twisting the white string of her hoodie, which was still halfway hanging off.

"You want your coat off; I mean it already halfway is…" I trailed off, leaving it completely up to her. She nodded, never moving her gaze from the wall; it must have been her focusing point.

I worked around Dr. Cullen to get to the zipper then went around behind to pull off the sleeve. It took all I had not to voice my surprise at the two, skinny pink scars diagonally slashing their way through the evenly tanned skin of her back.

How had I missed those? That day we went cliff diving I guess it had been too overcast to see, but now, in the bright fluorescence of the lighting, they were as obvious as the greenery outside. Trying to avert my eyes I attempted to fold her jacket and plopped it down beside her, watching Dr. Cullen over her shoulder. He briefly looked up and met my eye then quickly ran his gaze over the beginning of one of the scars that must have went over the shoulder.

"It was an accident." Caroline suddenly stated, her voice soft, but still loud in the silence of the room.

"Excuse me?" Carlisle asked politely, obviously trying to appear as if he didn't know what she was talking about.

"My scars," she reached up with her good hand and touched her collarbone; it must have been where one of them started, "are from a surfing accident I had a few years ago. The under current was too strong and pulled me under and into the reef. It took them forever to pick out all the sand and stuff."

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear about that."

"It's fine," she said, smiling an actual smile, "a lot of people from Hawaii have marks from their 'great adventures'. I sometimes forget I even have these." She continued with a small shrug like the topic had never been brought up.

"Well it's unfortunate to say that you're most likely going to have a few scars from this adventure too." With that said I went back around to the front of the table and audibly swallowed. Caroline's arm looked like it had been through a meat grinder or worse…like a giant, raving werewolf had chewed it up.

"Oh, wow, Cee…would you mind if I stepped out for a bit? I think I need some air…" I felt bad for not sticking around to hear her answer, but I was already out the door and down the hall, pacing back and forth in front of a huge plate glass window that show cased the greenery and rain outside. I paused briefly and ran my hands through my hair, trying to get the image of her mangled arm out of my head.

It wasn't the gruesome look of it, but the simple fact that I could make it look like that if I ever lost control. Taking a deep breath I grabbed a hold of the railing and stretched my back, trying to lose the tension and feeling of sudden nerves. I almost took off my shirt to try and get cooled down also, but the sign buy the entrance clearly said no shirt, no shoes, no entry, something I found to be debatable, but whatever, it wasn't my hospital.

Just as I was about to straighten up and stretch my arms I caught a whiff of the smell and turned just in time to see Carlisle round the corner.

"I was wondering where you'd gone off to, of course it wasn't hard; just follow the scent." He smiled and kept his distance, his hands in the pockets of his lab coat.

With Carlisle I knew it was OK to joke around; he was just cool like that. In a way he was like my dad, easy going and nice to talk to.

You'd just never hear me say that out loud.

"I just…needed some air." I said lamely, not being able to come up with a better reason. Carlisle just nodded in understanding and motioned for me to follow him back to the room.

"I've gotten out all the pieces of plate I could find and put in some stitches. It's going to be swollen for a few days, but I didn't put a cast on because there was nothing broken. All that's on there now is just gauze and wrappings; the cuts are still bleeding slightly, so change them regularly. Bring her back in week for a check up and we'll see how things are going." We were almost back to the room now and I could see that the door was still shut.

"Did she do okay? She didn't totally freak out did she?" I thought back earlier to the shaking and paleness.

"She was perfectly fine. She openly admitted that she was scared of the generalization of hospitals rather than what they do. She doesn't like the antiseptic smell or strict nature of some of the doctors and nurses." I dumbly nodded my head, flipping this over in my mind and storing it away for future reference.

"Are you okay? You left pretty fast; I think she was more scared about you." I looked up and met the doctor's gaze, his golden eyes showing no signs of mockery or judgment.

"It's just that I realized…I'm capable of doing that. All she did was fall on a pile of dishes, but what if I had done that? What if I lose control and freak out and…" At this I looked away, ashamed of what was coming out of my own mouth. Carlisle seemed to think all of this over, choosing his words carefully and in timely manner.

"I honestly don't think you could do what you say you could. Out of all the members in your pack I think you seem to have the most self-control. I've never witnessed any temper from you and your nature is quite calm and laid back, like that of Caroline's. It amazes me how you two are so alike." At this I smiled and nodded.

"Have you told her yet?"

"We, uh, did a little demo in the woods a while back…she freaked out and holed herself up in her house for three weeks. Today's the first day we've seen or even talked to each other since."

"I'm sure she'll adjust; like I said, you two are more alike than you know."

"Yeah, now all I have to do is tell her the second half of it all."

"You haven't gotten that far yet?" I shook my head and put my hands on my hips, preparing myself for some strong words of wisdom.

"Well my day sounds easier now. You can take her home and remember to come back for a check up in a week; she has a prescription for pain and infection pills. It was great to see you again." I felt slightly deflated as no words of advice came from the immortal being. We both turned to go out own ways when Carlisle suddenly called over his shoulder.

"Delano's Diner over on Easton is usually empty this time of night; I find it's great place to clear the air so to speak." Ha! Words of wisdom; I knew the man couldn't resist.

* * *

Wa - la! Another chapter as promised...just a month later than said! So sorry for all this mess, I can't believe it's gotten this bad, but trust me I am trying my best!! REVIEWS WILL BE GREATLY APPRECITAED!

LOVE YOU ALL!!


	14. Chapter 13

**_~So this is a little shorter than my last chapter, but at least it was posted quicker, so be thankful._**  
**_~Many have asked about the time line and I've been hesitant to say when because up till now I haven't had a clue, but the timeline and series of events will be revealed in the next two or three chapters, so you'll have to read to find out!_**

**_~ And I just realized this, but last time I forgot to mention that the chapter was written in Seth's P.O.V as is this chapter and maybe the next few...just to change things up a bit, so I hope you enjoy! _**

**_When The Wind Blows_**

**_Chapter 13_**

**_Snap, Crackle, Pop Rice Krispies!!_**

We were in the car going home, the windows down despite the slight rain coming down outside. Caroline was enthusiastically telling me about a documentary she saw on the Discovery Channel about Pygmy Shrews while the radio gave way to a soft 80's tune in the background. I only had one hand on the wheel, confident in my own driving abilities that we wouldn't crash and die in a fiery explosion. My attention was fully on Caroline and what she was saying about her newfound love of shrews.

"They're just so tiny and can practically fit on your finger; I don't see how they even survive. I mean their life span is only about fifteen months, something which sucks if you convert that into years…" I smiled at this and shook my head.

Of course: out of all the people I knew Caroline would be fascinated with shrews.

"Now when you say they can fit on a finger, does that mean a regular sized finger like yours, or a big one like mine?" Looking back over at her I saw her contemplating the question, knowing full well I'd get a unique answer.

"Hmmm…well they _are_ 'Pygmy' Shrews, which usually implies smallness, or undersized-ness, which then leads to being tiny like a finger, so in retrospect my finger would be huge compared to them because I'm an adult. If we were comparing fingers to Pygmy Shrews then we'd need to find a toddler, because they're little and not full sized human beings yet." The way she said it, like a smart ass or a know-it-all, totally made my day.

"So if your finger is huge compared to the shrews, what would mine be?"

"A 747." I laughed at this, shaking my head and running my free hand through my hair.

"How do you come up with this stuff?"

"You'd be amazed."

"Oh really now?"

"Oh yeah; I was always that weird kid in kindergarten who thought they could do all the weird shit like fly off the swing set, or dig a hole to china, or actually become a mermaid by living in the bathtub."

"You lived in a bathtub?"

"For about a day and a half. It got really boring so I gave up." We both laughed at this, the atmosphere of the car so much lighter than it was on our way to the hospital.

"I'll have to tell you about all the other stuff I did; I could probably write a book out of it all." She said this with a sigh, clearly thinking about her past actions as a toddler.

"How about tonight?" I casually suggested. "There's a great place back up in Forks we go eat at, they're open all night." I wasn't aware that I was shrugging as I said this, totally making it obvious that I had been thinking about it.

Cee fixed me with a look that pretty much said 'I'm on to you buddy'.

"Well I'd have to get cleaned up first; we can't go out looking like I just committed murder...or attempted suicide."

"Hey, I said I was sorry for that!"

"I know, it's just I've never seen anyone freak out like that!"

"Well you apparently haven't looked in a mirror lately!" I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. The car grew silent, the radio the only noise now between us. I tried in vain to keep any expression off my face, but the panic I felt inside had no problem translating into my expression.

I could actually feel it.

Caroline was simply looking at me, an unreadable mask covering her features that I was so jealous of.

"You are so _totally_ buying all the food." She stated in a tone laced with laughter.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and then another one and another one. Today was shaping up to be pretty good.

"Alright then, I'll drop you off and go home and change and pick you back up in an hour." We were practically in her driveway as I said this, not realizing that I had had the pedal to the metal for the whole trip home.

"Dad's home." She stated quietly, her gaze on the lit up living room window.

"You want me to come in with you?" I asked, hoping she'd say yes.

"Nah, I'm good. I'll see you in an hour." She made to get out of the car, but a quick poke on her arm made her stop and turn back to me.

"Here," I said, reaching into my shorts pocket and digging around, "I finally managed to get this off Embry. I think he was actually planning on using it to break into your house, the asshole." Caroline smiled as I placed the dainty little house key in her outstretched hand. She stared at it for a few seconds, almost like she was having some inner-conflict before reaching back over to me, offering it back.

"Take it," She stated, "I want you to hold onto for a while." She gave me one last smile before finally exiting the car, looking over her shoulder only once to laugh at my dumbfounded expression.

For once I actually liked how this one felt on my face.

~*~

I was practically flying as I ran back home; the excitement running through my veins was enough to jolt a heart attack victim back to life. I had my shorts, shoes, and shirt strapped to leg by means of a bungee cord, Caroline's house key safely Velcro-ed in the side cargo pocket. I was only halfway to my house when I felt I wasn't alone.

_'Dude, Seth, what waxed your wiener?' _I quickly pushed away the pervy-ness that came with Embry's question.

_'Me and Caroline are going out; I finally caught a lucky break.'_

_ 'Ooooh, where are you going, can I come too? Is it that one place in Port Angeles that has those awesome burgers—'_

_ 'No you can't come!'_

_ 'Why not, Cee likes me too so why not make it a party?'_

_ 'Dude, you can't just but in on my first date in like, a month. I'm easing my way back in; I think we both are.'_

_ 'Awwwwww!'_

_ 'Shut up…'_

_ 'Our wittle Sethy is all grwon up and going on big boy dates!'_

_ 'You're so annoying, you know that?'_

_ 'Yeah, I do, have fun on your date man, I'm out!' _And with that said I could no longer feel Embry's mental presence, or anyone else's for that matter, which was odd considering that someone was always on duty.

_'I'll have to ask someone about that.' _I told myself, knowing full well that Sam would be pretty pissed to know that the borders weren't being patrolled as usual.

Bu then again I didn't have time to worry about Sam; he wasn't the one I was going on a date with in an hour.

~*~

"Anybody home?" I yelled out as I entered the kitchen through the back door, shirt and shoes in hand. I was met with silence, which didn't really mean anything because it was well after nine and mom and Leah could have been asleep.

"Seth, honey, is that you?" Guess she wasn't.

Mom came around the corner already in her pajamas and house robe, her eyes droopy and a steaming mug of what I knew to be tea.

"It's me." I said crossing the room in five strides with my arms outstretched for a hug only to be shot down when I was stiff-armed by my own mother.

"Uh-uh buddy, you're disgusting and sweaty!"

"Awwww…"

"And don't sit on the furniture either," she said navigating around me to the sink, "I just went through two cans of Febreze trying to get some of the smell out." I laughed at this and opted to sitting down at the table, dropping my shirt and shoes to the floor beside me in the process.

"You weren't asleep were you, sorry if I woke you up." Her back was turned to me, but I could tell she was listening.

"I wasn't asleep, just watching a movie down in the basement with Leah…some weird space thing she found on the SyFy channel. I honestly couldn't explain it if I tried." She sighed, turning around to face me from the dishes she must have been rinsing off.

"That sounds like fun…I guess." She smiled at this and took a drag of her tea; by the smell of it I'd say it was black raspberry.

"So how was your day? You had me a little worried there for a bit; you left and never came back. I was about to call Emily and see what you all were up to today when Quil came over with Claire and said he saw you over at Caroline's." I nodded enthusiastically at this, causing her to smile.

"We were actually together today," I gushed like a teenage girl, "she sliced her arm open on some dishes and I drove her to the hospital."

"Oh my goodness, is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine; I took her up to Carlisle and he stitched her up. He was actually glad to see me."

"Carlisle is a good person, he's one of the few I actually don't mind." I nodded with her in agreement; remembering back to the first time mom had ever seen the vampire doctor. She was so star-crossed by his looks it was almost sickening, but that was before we knew him well enough to know he'd never eat her.

"So are you home for the night? I can heat up some left-overs in the oven." Mom offered, pulling me from my thoughts and getting me back on track.

"No thanks, me and Caroline are actually going out to eat." I didn't need mom's expression to tell me I had a huge, idiotic smile plastered on my face.

"Oh really now?" She suggested, an eyebrow cocked in fake disbelief.

"Yeah…there's some more stuff I need to explain to her…" This was the part I was scared to say.

"You haven't told her everything yet?"

"No…"

"I don't know about doing it in a public place Seth, she might freak out again." Mom had a pretty decent understanding of Caroline's many freak-out episodes; I think she's heard a different version from each member of the pack.

"I know, it's just that I actually feel like she won't freak out…I think she'll be happy more than anything."

"So you really have imprinted on her? It's definite?" I had told mom of my suspicions of having imprinted when I first saw Caroline on the beach that rainy day so long ago. She had been quiet for a while afterwards until she saw Cee that night at the bonfire and came to the conclusion (with Emily of course) that yes, they could tell I had imprinted. Since then I haven't been able to tell whether she's happy or not.

"Yeah, it's definite." She smiled softly at me and set down her mug and crossed over to the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down beside me.

Please, god, don't let it be a sex talk.

"I'm glad you've found your imprint Seth, really I am."

"Do you…approve?" Of course it wouldn't really matter if she didn't because it was pretty much a done deal; no takesy-backsies.

"Yes, I do, I full heartily approve! How could I not? Caroline is so full of life and…good for you. I think you two keep each other grounded."

"Amen to that!" I breathed out, glad that the whole imprint thing was finally out in the open.

"I was a little worried when I first told you; I thought you'd be mad or hate Cee."

"Why would I be mad?" She questioned, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"…I thought you wouldn't like my imprint…but even if you didn't I couldn't change or ditch them because I wouldn't be able to and I'd have to force you to like them…I was just worried things wouldn't work out." I explained, trying to avoid my own mother's gaze.

"Oh honey," she said reaching over t take my hand in hers, "I could never hate anyone you bring home. This imprinting thing doesn't matter because whatever force or magic it is, it finds the one meant for you. Things may start off rough, but over time everything smoothes out, like sea glass. All you and Caroline need is a little polishing; after a while you two will be as natural as nature." I smiled softly at this, relishing the words and storing them away for future self-encouragement.

"Thanks mom." I finally said, giving her hand a slight squeeze and leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.

"Anytime, kid." She smiled back, squeezing back before removing herself from the table and retrieving her mug.

"You better get going," she warned, looking at the clock, "didn't you say you had an hour?"

"Oh my god!" I quipped, shooting out of the chair and up the stairs, mom's laughter following me all the way into the bathroom. I only had about twenty minutes left to get a move on; my heart-to-heart had taken longer than I thought, but in some weird way I knew Caroline wouldn't mind; I could just tell.

The first little sprout of that nature-like relationship mom had described was just starting to emerge from the ground, ready to spread its new leaves to take in the first ray of sunlight of a brand new day.

Jesus Christ…did I really just say that?

* * *

Well I hope you enjoyed and drop me a few reviews between now and later. My spring break is coming up, so I'll have a lot of time to work out the next couple chapters, so updating MIGHT be frequent...maybe...Thanks!! ~Fluff


	15. Chapter 14

_**Woo-hoo! Another chapter that wasn't too long in the making! Appreciate this now my friends; I'm almost failing my online class because I write here at school instead of home, so enjoy! **_

_******I don't own Twilight or anything associated with it. I do credit for the Evil Tree Furbies, though. (times this by however many chapters I missed putting this on!)**_

_**When The Wind Blows**_

_**Chapter 14**_

_**Elton John Should Write A Song About Us**_

_**Seth P.O.V**_

Upon pulling into Caroline's driveway I knew to expect fireworks; she was sitting on the porch steps with her head between her knees, her sweater hanging half way off her shoulder. Killing the ignition and getting out, I made my way over slowly, putting Leah's car keys in my pockets just in case something happened…that would result in flailing limbs or screaming.

Something that I prayed wouldn't happen.

"Thank god you're finally here," Caroline exclaimed once she looked up and saw me, "my dad is finally off his fucking rocker; in fact I think it's on fire and going to hell!" She gave me no time to respond as she jumped up from her position and grabbed me by the arm, dragging me up the stairs and through the house to the kitchen.

Her dad was leaned against the sink; an arm on either side for what must have been support. He sighed heavily when we came in.

"Caroline you're not getting your way this time; self injury is not the answer for your problems!"

"For god sakes dad I did not try to kill myself. It was an accident!" She threw her hands up in a gesture that clearly stated she had already explained this many times.

"Uh…I can vouch for her, Sir…" At this the Colonel turned around, a slightly shocked expression on his face.

"Mr. Clearwater, so nice to see you again." There was a hint of some foreign emotion in his voice, one I couldn't quite place, but decided I didn't like.

"I can vouch for her," I repeated, "I was out…walking…when I heard Cee scream and came running. Just as I got here she was coming out to drive herself to the hospital, but I took her instead. Dr. Cullen up in Forks took care of her." Silence filled the small kitchen, which soon gave birth to a giant void of awkwardness that none of us could stand.

"Can I trust you Seth?" At this I exchanged a look with Caroline, hers clearly wondering the same thing.

"Can I, uh, talk to you alone…for a few minutes?" I babbled off to the arms-crossed Colonel, his semi-glare neutral in expression. The three of us stood quietly for a few seconds, trying to decide who was going to leave and who wasn't.

"Fine, I'll go since it seems I'm the only one lacking testosterone around here!" Cee exclaimed, removing herself from the kitchen and slamming the front door on her way back out to the porch.

"First of all sir, I can honestly say that she did not try to commit suicide." I jumped right on the beat, trying to get the message across as clearly as possible. The army man gave me an appraising look up and down, seemingly deciding what to make of me.

"Why don't you come over here and sit down for a minute, son?" I nodded slightly, unsure of what to make of this sudden action. I gingerly pulled out a chair and perched myself on it…well the edge, actually, but I was at least sitting. The man across from me let out a sigh that seemed to make him older than he really was.

"That girl is going to be the death of me someday; almost makes me wish I was over in Iraq with my son fightin' the war instead of PMS." Not knowing what to do I gave a shake of the head and an awkward shrug.

"Now I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Clearwater, because I feel like this conversation is going to come full circle pretty quickly."

"Hit me." I said while bracing myself, my hands clutching the tops of my knees underneath the table.

"I know about you wolves, hell I've known longer than you have!" He gave a slight laugh and took in my shocked expression.

"You…know."

"Bet your ass I do; I was never one myself, but Billy's stories always made me feel like I was right there in the action with him." I could tell my mouth was hanging open in shock, the cool air drying out my tongue.

"I just thought I'd let you know because I know how hard it is keeping it a secret. I'm just assuming you've told Caroline, am I correct?" I nodded a 'yes'.

"Kind of figured that's why she was all mopey these past few weeks. I'm afraid we're wearing the poor girl's nerves down to the last strand and one day she'll just snap."

"Is that why you thought she tried to kill herself?" I blurted out before I could fully process what I was going to say.

"Coming home to a pile of broken and bloody dishes wasn't exactly a perfect ending to my day. I guess I just freaked out…must run in the family…" I gave a small smile at this.

"But I trust you Seth, so if the story you're telling me is true, I'll gladly go with that. Is it?"

"Yes, Sir, it is one hundred percent true."

"Alright then, you go out and have fun tonight. Try not to be too late brining her back; I'll be over at Billy's if you need me."

"Yes, Sir, I can do that. Do you want me to go get her or…" I trailed off, not really knowing what else to say.

"Nah, she doesn't want to see me. And call me Carver, I insist." He said extending his hand across the table for a shake, which was pretty sloppy on my part.

"Thank you, Sir." He gave a laugh as I stood and made for the exit, turning around to give a fake salute in which he just laughed once more and seemed to shoo me out of the room.

He reminded me slightly of an onion: the more you peeled back the shotty outside layers, the closer you got to the core that tasted good once it was properly fried up.

* * *

"For a growing boy you sure do eat a lot." Cee mused as we sat in the corner booth of Delano's Diner up in Forks. The red vinyl seating was cracked in most places, as was the tile floor and counter tops, but it was homey in one of the broken down kind of ways.

That and the aroma from the kitchen was pure ecstasy.

"We all eat a lot…it's in the genes." I explained, gently batting a peppershaker back and forth between my hands. Cee sighed across from me.

"We should give it a name." She stated, doing the same thing I was with the salt.

"Give what a name?" I asked, even though I already knew what she was referring to.

"You know…_it_." I smiled and looked up, taking in her averted eyes and slight blush at mentioning the werewolf stuff.

"Any suggestions?"

"Uh…I've actually been thinking about this for a while, you know just so I can make sense of it and not have it seem so nerd-ish…"

"…and?"

"And," She smiled, looking back at me, "I say we call it the Furbie Problem." I laughed at this, the noise echoing off the plat glass windows and blank walls.

"The Furbie Problem? That's the best you can come up with?" She nodded sheepishly and combed a hand through her hair.

"Yeah…it's stupid, I know."

"I think it's great…the Furbie Problem it is then." I smiled and reached slid my hand across the table to take a hold of her injured hand; she had already changed them since we got back from the hospital. We both grew quiet at this point, each of us lost in our thoughts.

"It's been a while." She stated, causing me to look up and see her eyes set on our hands. I looked down at them too.

"I can't remember the last time we held hands or did anything that wasn't pushing or shoving in the middle of an argument." I nodded in agreement, trying to remember when the last time we actually kissed or hugged was. I was about to ask when our waitress finally showed up with our food that had been ordered half an hour ago.

It's not like they were over flowing with customers; we were the only ones here besides and old man asleep at the counter.

"Here's your order! Sorry it took so long, we're not used to getting this big of an order this late at night!" The waitress explained with a cherry smile, her eyes locked solely on me. I felt Caroline's hand slip from mine and peripherally saw her pick up the knife that came with our silver ware.

"Did you know there are thirty different basic knife maneuvers in the army?" She asked suddenly, swiping the knife through the air like it was choir director's wand.

Our waitress, whose name tag read Sarah, let her smile falter for just a second before she started unloading our food onto the table, all the while shooting me little looks and smiles.

"It's a good thing my dad's in the army," Caroline continued, her the knife still in the air, "it's a wonder what a butter knife can do. I once saw this demonstration where this guy used one and simultaneously stabbed the eyes out of a dummie and broke it's collarbone all in five seconds." She finished with a cock of her head to the left, shooting a sidelong glare at Sarah, who retaliated with a glare of her own.

"How lucky for you." Sarah unenthusiastically exclaimed through clenched teeth, her eyebrows so high up on her forehead I thought they'd fly off.

"Yeah, I am lucky. It's a good thing I learned how to use one of these, otherwise I could be sitting here eating and some lunatic could run in and try to kill us all and I'd take him out with a butter knife. Handy, right Seth?" I looked up to find Caroline with a Cheshire smile on her face, her fist on the table with the knife pointing straight up. I held in my laughter as I turned back to Sarah.

"She's right you know. Saved me from a gang rape in Los Angeles with a butter knife from Denny's. Still had burger on it!" I exclaimed, reaching across to one once again take a hold of her free hand and turned back to our waitress.

"E-enjoy your…meal." She practically whispered before scampering back off towards the kitchen, her knuckles white from grasping her serving tray so hard. As soon as she as out of sight Caroline let out a cackle that would have gave any witch in a thrity mile radius a run for her money.

"You are a work of art, you know that?" I laughed, giving her hand a squeeze before letting go to tackle my fries.

"It's a gift, my friend. I shall someday train you in the ways of bitch-hood and then you will be Man Bitch, my faithful side kick." She unceremoniously dropped the knife to the table where it rang out when making contact with her fork and spoon.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I wondered out loud with a smile.

"Fah, you'd be lost without me! That's what she gets for taking ten minutes just to write down our order cause she couldn't keep her eyes off of you."

"Someone jealous?" I teased.

"Of that? God no, I had more of a tan when I was five and didn't look so orangey…ew." She gave a fake shudder and continued to pick up her burger and bit off a huge chunk. I shook my head and just smiled.

We ate in a comfortable silence, Cee her burger and two orders of fries, and me with my three double cheeseburgers, four orders of fries, two large orders of onion rings and a side salad just for kicks.

"You really do eat like a pig, you know that?" She finally spoke after we were done eating, her eyes taking in the barrage of crumbs and spilt condiments.

"What can I say…I'm a man." She snorted at this and brushed off her tank top and slipped her sweater back on.

"Well since you're the man I'm assuming you're paying so I'm going to the bathroom. Don't run away with Sarah while I'm gone." She said, sliding out of the booth and straightening her shirt while brushing off more crumbs.

"Seems like I'm not the only messy one around here." I muttered, looking around like I hadn't really noticed anything. Cee shot me a look and proceeded towards the bathroom, all the while still brushing herself off. I just smiled and shook my head, pulling out my wallet and flopping a twenty on the table followed by three ones for a tip.

I waited in the booth until I saw Cee come back around the corner and got up to meet her halfway. We were just about to leave when she stopped suddenly and turned back to the table.

"That was a really good butter knife, too." I laughed at this and guided her out through the door, making sure she wasn't going to go back in and steal it.

"I'll buy you a new one for Christmas."

"Better be a big one." She pouted as she got into the car and strapped on her seat belt. I just shook my head and followed in suit.

Leave it to Caroline.

~*~

The only light anywhere was coming from the Christmas lights Cee had hanging around the top of her room. The only thing I could feel were her fingers running through my hair, her nails massaging my scalp and tugging at tufts. The only thing I could smell was the lotion that she claimed was Black Amethyst and didn't come from the Dollar Store. The only thing I could taste was…jellybeans?

Ew.

Reaching up I disentangled her fingers from my hair and finally pulled away after one last kiss that had me pretty much reeling.

"When'd you eat jellybeans?" I murmured, still hazy from our highly over-dued kissing. She gave small laugh and reached up to pull me back down towards her.

"I had some when you were in the bathroom. I didn't know they'd make me intolerable. If that's the case then I guess we're done." She whispered, trying to roll me off her and onto the bed.

I held my ground.

"Not so fast, now. I think I could get use to jellybeans." And with that I leaned back down, capturing her lips once more. I allowed my hands to slowly roam her body and she gave no objections when it creeped up underneath the bottom of her shirt and slowly made it's way north. I felt her smile against me as my fingers slowly traced their way across her belly, drawing intricate patterns of swirls and figure eights. I was practically right at my desired destination when a sudden pounding on the front door caused up both to jump and surprise. Removing my hand from the warmth of her belly I placed one last kiss on her cheek and made to roll off the bed.

"It's probably one of those damn Jehovah witnesses or a carpet salesman." She murmured with glazed over eyes and a weak grasp on my forearm.

"It still wouldn't hurt to check it out." I responded, gently pulling her hand from my arm and crossing the room. Behind me I heard her groan and the bed creak from where she was crawling off of it.

Taking the steps two at a time I was down the stairs in no time and in the foyer, flicking on the outside and inside lights before opening the door.

Imagine my shock when I opened it to Jared standing there.

"Hey." I said with a nod of the head; the typical guy greeting.

"I've been trying to find you for an hour, man! We have an emergency!" He was practically charging to get into the house, but I stopped him halfway and pushed him back out on the porch, joining him after trying to close the door as quietly as possible.

"What kind of emergency are we talking about?"

"That chick Jake was messed up over, what's her face—"

"—Bella."

"Yeah, Bella, whatever, we'll she's knocked up; big time." I found myself standing there utterly dumbfounded. I knew Bella and Edward and gotten married and that they were on the honeymoon, but knocked up?

"I know man, I don't get it either, but we've got to go. Sam's ordered a meeting with the elders and Jake's really freaking out." I sighed, knowing this sudden call to duty wasn't going to go well once I went back inside.

"Just wait for me in the woods, I'll be out in a minute." Jared gave a strict nod if his head and jumped down over the whole flight of porch stairs and ran across the yard until disappearing into the woods.

I went back into the house, taking my time up the stops and stopping briefly outside the bedroom door where I knew Cee was waiting for me. Peeking in I could see that she was no longer in the room, but in the adjourning bathroom, the light faintly glowing from beneath the crack at the bottom. Shouldering the door open I went in and waited right outside the bathroom, hoping she wasn't doing anything that would take too long. I silently listened to the sink run and various objects be picked up and put back down for use.

Finally, after was felt like hours, the door opened and Cee stepped out with a hand towel, clearly in the process of drying off her face. I waited until she was done and gave a gentle smile.

"Everything alright?" She asked, a calm and relaxed expression on her face. I felt myself gulp and brace for impact.

"There's an emergency…a Furbie Problem emergency. I need to leave." I stated as bluntly as possible. She looked down at the floor and seemed to collect herself before looking back up and giving a soft smile.

"Alright…be safe." A smile erupted on my face as I leaned down to give her a quick kiss goodbye, that somehow turned into a mini make out session all by itself, but was this time ended by her.

"Go…get out of here!" She exclaimed giving me a gentle push towards the door. I gave her one last smile before finally leaving and bolting down the stairs and following Jared's path into the woods.

So much for telling her about imprinting…but I guess it can wait…right?

* * *

Yay! They've reunited (and it feels so good!) so I wonder what'll happen next? If you have an idea drop it in a review or send me a message! Toodles for now! ~Fluff


	16. Chapter 15

_I'll pretty much let this chapter speak for itself! Enjoy and review!!!_

_Disclaimer: If I owned Twilgiht would I really be on Fanfiction?_

_When The Wind Blows_

_Chapter 15_

_Moons And Junes And Ferris Wheels_

I had just stepped out of the shower when the doorbell exploded in an explosion of chimes. Who ever was outside pressing it must have been in a hurry because the leading ding of the dong was always cut off by the next. I figured it must have been one of the guys and found no use in making them wait for the next twenty minutes it'd take to get dried off and clothed. Clad in nothing but a towel, I made my way across the room and opened the door far enough to see out and down the stairs.

"It's unlocked!" I yelled, causing the doorbell to suddenly die and the front door to creep open. This was the part that scared me. I figured sure as hell it was going to be Embry, but the sudden politeness of slowly opening the door had me holding my breath.

"Hello?" A boy's voice called out, almost shy and slightly nervous.

"Uh…yes?" I asked from my vantage point, noticing a head starting to emerge into our front foyer.

"Is that Caroline?" If this guy knew my name then it's safe to assume he's with the Furbies (as I now called _them_; I just can't bring myself to it yet).

"Uh…yeah. Can I ask who this is?" I could now put a face to the name; it was a smaller guy, not as big as Seth and Embry, but still muscular and clearly Indian. He had a gentle grin and was actually clothed, as in shirt, shorts, and even a busted up pair of Converse.

"I'm Collin, a friend of Seth's. He sent me to pick you up and bring you over to his house." At this I made a face; what was going on now?

"Alright then, can I least get dressed?" At this Collin bushed, clearly not used to presence of teen girls when in reality they were probably flinging themselves at him.

"Oh, yeah, go ahead!" He flushed, waving his hands innocently through the air.

"You can watch TV or something if you want, and help yourself to food, just don't wipe us out." I smiled, trying to get the poor kid calmed down. I didn't wait around for his reaction and instead retreated back into my room to scrape up some clothes that could shield me against the elements on the trek over to the Clearwater house.

After drying off and halfway blow-drying my hair, I found some sweatpants and a hoodie and threw some additional clothes in a bag, along with some things to pass the time and a few personal items.

Who knew how long this new fiasco would last?

Flipping off the lights and clicking the door shut behind me I made my way downstairs and saw that Collin had indeed turned on the TV and was pigging out on some chips. He was actually between mid-chew and shoving another fistful into his mouth when I entered the room.

"Tasty?" I asked him, a smile on my face. He just blushed slightly and rushed to swallow.

"I'm really sorry for barging in like this; it's just that Seth told me to come get you."

"Did he say why?" I asked, making my way into the kitchen to turn off the lights and coffee pot.

"He just told me to tell you that it was a Furbie Problem that isn't going to be as easy as he thought." Now this caught my attention. Slowly I turned to look at the youth sitting on my sofa. He seemed innocent and honest enough I thought, contemplating my options. He must have noticed my calculating stare because he gave an almost unnoticeable gulp of…fear?

Of me?

Psha!

"You're not going to freak out…are you?" Okay…I admit, maybe it was a gulp of fear.

"Are my shit fits legendary among you people now, or something?" I asked wearily, pushing off from the door frame and making my way back into the living room. Collins eyes followed me the whole time.

"No, no, no, no, no," He gushed, "it's just that Seth mentioned you're still not used to the whole werewolf thing and I didn't want to scare you and make you feel uncomfortable or anything and I—" I held my hand to stop the poor kid; he was well on his way to getting a heart attack or something.

"Collin, it's alright, you didn't scare me and I'm not uncomfortable. It's perfectly fine!" I tried to convince him, but the panic still stayed on his face.

"Are you sure?" He asked in a small voice, still frozen on the couch. I would have 'awwwwwwwed' at the sight of him, but since he was on the verge of freaking out (I now know what I look like when I do it) I couldn't let that happen.

"I have every faith in you young Collin," I declared stepping over to him, "that you will get me to Seth's house unharmed and in one piece." I offered him a hand to pull him out of the suction of our sofa, but ended up stumbling and fighting to stand while he merely gave a small laugh and helped himself up.

"I'm glad you're not trying to kill me." He stated simply, a small smile on his features.

"Your welcome?" He laughed at his and the chip bag in his hands crackled.

"Embry told me not to make you mad or you'd summon the spirits of the forest to kill me." He laughed again, passing me to get into the hall and out the front door.

"Oh Embry…such a funny a boy, isn't he?" I asked humorlessly to myself while following Collin's lead outside.

I already had that gut feeling that something was amiss and history was about to repeat itself.

* * *

"Oh Caroline I just can't believe how long it's been since I last saw you!" Sue gushed as soon as I stepped over the threshold and tackled me in a bear hug. We swayed back and forth for a few seconds until she finally let go, but still held me at arm's length.

"Seth's told me everything that's gone on and I just want you to know that I don't blame you one bit! It's hard adjusting to our kind of life style, so you take as long as you need to, honey!" I merely nodded along, trying to keep up with the woman as she continued to gush and spiel as she tugged me along into the kitchen and propped me on a stool by the bar.

Collin was smart…he didn't follow me up the porch stairs, but merely gave me a cheeky grin and a wave before bolting off into the woods.

Lucky bastard.

"I just can't believe how much you've changed since I saw you last! I think it was when you two went to Seattle, right?" She stopped suddenly, making me realize that she was actually waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, it was when we went to Seattle. I've just cut my bangs a little and did some trimming. Nothing major." I smile weakly, waiting for the next onslaught of questions. What was this woman on? It's like 12:30 at night; shouldn't she be sleeping of something?

She was clearly gearing up for the next round of questions when the sudden beating on the back door made both of us jump.

"That's one of the kids now!" She smiled and walked around the bar, giving me a firm pat on the back as she undid the dead bolt and opened to door to let in...a very rough looking Leah.

I gave her a small smile and nod in greeting, which she returned with one of her own. Sue shut the door behind her and locked it back, then walked back around the bar and opened the fridge, pulling out a gallon jug of water and sliding it across the counter to Leah.

I watched in amazement as she finished it in a minute.

"That is surely an untapped talent." I muttered to no one in particular, causing Sue to laugh and put a hand to her chest.

"Oh it's so nice to have you here Caroline. I just can't believe where the time has gone!" _Ha!_, I laughed internally; you and me both, lady.

"Well I'll leave you two girls alone to catch up; you don't need some old goose hanging around putting in her two-cents!" She exclaimed, shuffling over to kiss the side of Leah's head and then mine before leaving the room and creaking up the stairs.

The two us waited in silence before Leah finally leaned back on her stool and released a sigh of relief, signaling that her mom could no longer hear us through the floor; it was the standard child vs. parent behavior.

"I honestly didn't know your mom was that crazy." I said out loud, not really scared of Leah's reaction.

"No kidding." She responded immediately, getting up and refilling her jug at the sink.

"She's usually gets like this when there's a lot going on." She stated, not meeting my eye.

"I take there's a lot going on then?"

"That's an understatement." So a new fiasco was unfolding…great.

"Is it really, really, really bad?" I asked, hopeful that maybe what ever it was it'd blow over quickly.

"It's bad." Leah responded quietly, which made the weight of her words all the more heavier. I freely let my head smack down onto the counter knowing full well that Leah wouldn't ask why or laugh or make fun of me.

I have a feeling she wants to do the same exact thing.

"You'll be staying here tonight just until we can make sure everything's alright. It's still too early to tell how things are going to play out." She said 'we'. That bothered me.

Why did it bother me?

"When you say 'we'…you mean…" I ventured, not to sure I wanted to test these waters this very instance.

Leah turned to look at me.

"All the wolves. Seth, me, Embry, Collin, Jake…Sam. There's more of us than you think." She stated with a gentle tone, propped up against the now shut fridge door.

"You're…one too." I stated, my face still firmly planted on the counter in surrenderance.

"Yup." She replied, the popping of her 'p' making me jump just the slightest and lifting my face from its pancake-like position.

My nose hurt from where it was bent down in the wrong direction.

"I'll admit…I'm a little freaked out, but I can deal with it. It's fine. I'm good. It's all good." Leah smiled at this and pushed off from the counter and made her way over to me.

"I'm not usually one for girly stuff, but you're just sooooooo cute!" She laughed cynically, pinching my left cheek as if she was my grandmother or something. I swatted at her hand until she let go and motioned for me to follow her upstairs. I grabbed my bag and followed willingly, slightly curious to see the rest of the house.

The stairs creaked eerily despite our lighter then light footsteps until we reached the landing at the top and Leah whispered out directions.

"That's the bathroom," she pointed to the door closet to us, "then my room," the door next to the bathroom, "then mom's at the end of the hall and Seth's room's right there." She nodded at the door directly across from the bathroom.

"You're staying in there tonight. He'll be back at some point."

"You're letting me stay in his room?" I asked, surprised by this tid-bit of info.

"Mom knows and I really don't care as long as you two don't get too rough!" Thank god there wasn't too much light or Leah would have laughed even more at my shocked expression.

Did she really have to say that?

"Nighty-night Caroline!" She continued to stage laugh as she slipped quietly into her room, the door softly clicking shut behind her.

I've been in plenty of rooms that have belonged to guys, but they've all usually ended up being gay minus my dad. I kept this in mind as I scanned Seth's room after switching on a desk top lamp; looking for any gay-man related paraphernalia despite the fact I've asked him and have somewhat experienced his totally un-gay actions and body.

There were no Madonna or Cher posters, no statues of gay wrestling Greek/Roman men, no frilly rugs or straight edge sleek designs that Nate from Oprah would approve of. Instead I was pleasantly surprised to find dark hardwood floors and dark green walls. There were two windows with a broken curtain rod above one and busted up blinds on the other. The furniture was dark and matched the dark color of the floors while the bedspread was a plaid with blue, green, and white.

It was evident that his mother had designed the room and that Seth had fulfilled his teenager programming of wrecking it.

Trash littered the floor from the overflowing garbage can in the corner, and the clothes hamper next to it wasn't much better. Various school-related items covered every available surface and the shelves on the poor bookcase were sagging from the extra weight. I followed the small pig path from the door the bed, turning on the TV that was precariously perched on top of one of the dressers along the way. I dropped my bag unceremoniously on the floor and slid onto the bed, relishing in the fact that it was a king sized. My shoes were the next thing to drop to the floor as is pulled off my hoodie too and seemingly sunk in the plush comforter.

His smell was everywhere! The gentle woodsy smell along with that of the ocean and fresh rain were enough to kick my senses (and hormones) into overdrive.

I'd really have to behave myself tonight.

"_Why is it so frickin hot_?" I rasped out to nothing in particular while trying to re-situate myself in the bed.

What was I last doing? Was I watching Adult Swim? Was I even watching TV?

Feeling around rapidly for the heat source, my hand soon made contact with the slow rise and fall of a chest that actually made the palm of my hand sweat.

_Seth?_

Struggling against the buildup of comforter, I fought my way out and found the room to be in total darkness along with the world outside of the windows. Blinking rapidly to become adjusted to the dark, the body next to me shifted in its sleep; it's arm wrapping around my waist and pulling me closer.

This would have been dandy and all if I wasn't roasting to death.

"Seth," I poked what I assumed to be his shoulder, "Seth! You need to let go!" I whispered loudly, trying in vain to escape my prison.

His arm only tightened.

"Seth!" I poked again.

Still nothing.

"Se—"

"I heard you the first time, Cee." That shut me up; he really must have heard me.

"Let me go or throw the comforter off or something. I'm sweating like crazy over here!" I said normally while fighting against his arm.

"Why would I do that when I have you in such a perfect position already?" He asked will more clarity then moments ago, an obvious mischievous undertone to his voice.

Damn the darkness!

"Why can't you be all sexy when I can actually see you?!" I griped, still fighting against his arm in vain. The bed shifted with our moving weight and in seconds the room was bathed in a hazy blue light.

"What's that?" I asked, taking in the room with its new light.

"My alarm clock; it's too bright so I cover it with a hat." I could see his face clearly now, if not a little hazed. His eyelids dropped slightly and my beloved crooked smile was on his face.

"Sorry for waking you up," I explained, "it just got too hot." He smiled in understanding and instead of moving his arm he quickly flipped me on my back and rolled on top of me.

The heat was practically coming off his body in waves.

"It's a Furbie thing." He said casually, as if we weren't in the most basic position that caused horny teenagers to make passionate love.

"Really now? And what else is a Furbie thing?" I questioned, turning my head to the side, seemingly in thought.

Seth obviously didn't like this move and placed his hand on my cheek to move my face back in his direction. He stared at me for what felt like a hundred heart beats until finally lowering his face down to meet mine.

I allowed my eyes to flutter shut as he made contact, our mouths moving together as one, his hands finding mine and working them up until they were above my head. We eventually broke for air, our breathing heavy and faces pale in the wash of the sapphire light. He smiled ever so slightly before coming back down for landing and releasing my hands to where they flew immediately around his neck.

I loved how his shaggy hair felt in my hands.

How the baby curls at the base of his neck twisted so perfectly around my fingers.

I tugged harder than usual as his lips left mine and slowly trailed down my neck and into the hollow of my collar bone. I could hear his labored breathing in my ear and knew that mine was the same. My knuckles were practically white from where they were clenched in his hair; he had found that one, overly sensored spot that drove me crazy.

The one I didn't know I had but had heard friends talk about.

The place that he sucked so lightly on that caused me to moan out loud from the sheer pleasure of it.

I was going to have a hickey there in the morning.

"Seth…" I managed to choke out from beneath his wondering mouth, causing him to slow down and eventually come to a stop. For a few seconds the only sound anywhere came from our labored breathing, mine ragged and wispy while his was deep and full. We caught each other's eyes and the message was clear: Want. Need. Lust. Desire.

Who were we to stop it?

* * *

_Now I hope you all really enjoyed this and want more after so long of a wait! __Should I continue this scene in the beginning of the next chapter or not? **Lemon: yay or nay?**_

_Or does someone want to write one for me? _

**_Let me know and leave it in a review! Peace out, Fluff :)_**


	17. Chapter 16

_Yay! A new chapter that didn't take too terribly long! I'll make this short and skip to the point:_

_**This is mainly a filler chapter leading up to what's coming in the near future, so in this I hope I've answered a few frequently asked questions and cleared up some things. You made need to refer back to a later chapter and that all I'm going to say. Enjoy!**_

**FOR CLARIFICATION: there will be a lemon, but I've decided to make it an outtake that will appear with a few others as a separate story. As a Collective they will be called _WTWB: Outtakes_....coming soon!**

**_Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Twilight. It'd be nice though!_**

_When The Wind Blows_

_Chapter 16_

_Slipping Away_

**C.P.O.V**

The morning after doing _it_ is weird.

How is one supposed to react? To behave?

Never having done _it_ before has left me with that weird panicky feeling that teen girls get in those craptastic Hallmark movies where they magically land the head jock:

_'Ohmigod! Can you believe I had sex?! Ohmigod! What if I'm preggers?! Aiiiiiiieeeee!!!'_

Looking back now I realize it was mean to laugh at those sad, strange, one note characters because they were doing the typical girl reaction, which seems to be pretty universal.

Now if only they'd make a movie for the typical guy reaction.

Seth was gone when I woke up this morning, which might have freaked most people out, but I could clearly hear him shuffling around somewhere nearby.

It was kind of annoying, actually.

"Seth…?" I mumbled out, still sunk down in the comforter and half way to China. The shuffling and scratching noises stopped and I felt the opposite side of the bed sink with newly added weight.

"Good morning." He practically whispered, his arm snaking around my waist. At this I managed to pull my head from the pillow and look around, my vision needing a few seconds before finally coming in focus on his grinning face.

"What awwww you dooowing?" I asked with a yawn and full body stretch beneath the covers.

Why was my body so sore?

Was it supposed to be? Ughhhhhhhh.

"I have to leave early for patrol and I didn't want to wake you. Sorry." He smiled sheepishly while running a hand through his hair.

It was then that I noticed it.

"Oh my god I gave you a hickey!" I stated, my pointed finger flying out from beneath the covers to his neck.

"Guess you haven't looked in a mirror yet." He stated calmly, smugness written all over his face. His look alone made me run my hands around my neck, feeling for any swollen or tender spots.

There were at least three.

"Oh my god…"

"I think they're kinda sexy." Seth stated, leaning in close to whisper in my ear.

"I think you should leave now."

"Why?"

"Because I can't decide between killing you or making you late for patrol." I shot him a look that clearly said it was the former and not the latter. He simply smiled in return and placed a chaste kiss on my lips before practically bounding off the bed and crossing the room in two strides, stopping at the door for a last minute thought.

"Mom's downstairs cooking breakfast if you want any. After that you can go home or hang out here a bit." Did that mean everything was okay?

"We're still working out some things." Alrighty then, unasked question answered.

"Have fun?" I offered, not really sure as to what else to say. It must have worked for him because he was about to turn away when he suddenly turned back, a clear 'no nonsense' look on his face.

"If mom offers waffles just say 'no'."

"But I like waffles."

"I don't care, just say 'no.'" And with that he finally left, the narrow doorframe now seeming even smaller without his large, chiseled frame.

* * *

So Seth really wasn't kidding when he told me to say 'no' to his mom's waffles.

I was force eating my way through the second one when Leah finally graced us with her presence in the kitchen two hours after Seth had left.

"Thought I smelt something burning." She stated just loud enough for me to hear while getting her gallon jug of water out of the fridge. While taking a long drag she shot me a look that just reinforced what Seth had told me earlier.

_You should have just said 'no'._

"I like waffles." I ground out between chews; burnt, black flakes flying from my mouth to land on the counter before me with surprising force.

"You'd have to, to eat those things." She said with a grim nod at my plate, where one more 'waffle' sat, poised and ready to be eaten.

In some parallel world this thing in front of me could be called a waffle, but the charred blackness of it along with the gruesome cracks spider-webbing the surface was just simply amazing.

Even I didn't burn stuff this bad.

Leah must have caught my appraising look because she shuffled over and fearlessly picked up my remaining breakfast item and gave it a firm smack against the edge of the bar. Black bits of shrapnel flew off and littered the floor, but other than that the thing was solid.

Rock hard.

Indestructible.

Disgusting.

"Where's mom at?"

"Living room." I murmured, nodding my head the direction behind me.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Either the window or back door. Take your pick."

"I was going for garbage disposal."

"I think the waffle would win."

"So the window?"

"Does it squeak?"

"Yeah."

"Then the door." With all the cunning and stealth that only Leah could master, she tip-toed her way to the back door, seemingly dancing around the room trying to avoid all the squeak spots on the floor. Her hand was practically on the handle when the door flew open and missed the tip of her nose by mere millimeters. She was obviously about to go on a tirade that would make a sailor blush had it not been her own mother's head popping in through the now opened door.

"Oh Leah! You're up!" Sue exclaimed while coming in and taking off the track jacket that she had zipped all the way. Over her shoulder Leah sent me a 'what fuck?' kind of look.

And really, what the fuck, man?

"W-weren't you just in the living room?" I said pointing over my shoulder, shock clearly on my face.

"Well I was until I suddenly remembered the trash on the back porch needed to go out, so I just popped out the front door and came in the back!" She chattered on, completely unaware of our attempted mutiny on her waffle…which Leah was now desperately trying to fling somewhere behind her mother's back.

I was about to cross over to help her until Sue turned back around from making her coffee and spotlighted me with a smile.

"How did you like your waffles, Caroline? I was so happy to make them again because my crew around here doesn't like them too much. They're more pancake eaters than they are waffles." She smiled cheerfully; completely clueless that Leah still had my waffle behind her back.

"They sure were tasty," I gushed, "I could practically feel the love in 'em." I'd need some Chapstick after all this ass kissing.

"Oh, anytime, Caroline, any time. Are you going to be sticking around for the rest of the day?"

"Oh, no, I can't. I really should get home and get some work done. Living with my dad is a full time job!" I smiled, picking up my plate and unused utensils and carrying them over to the sink, hopefully distracting her in the process and giving Leah time to dispose of the evidence.

"That's such a shame," Sue cooed, "I hope you can make it over more often now that you're in on everything."

"Oh yeah, definitely, how could I stay away from all this?" I gushed, my hands flailing about to prove my point.

"Well you just come on over anytime you get lonely or just need some company!" And with that I was pulled into a bone crushing hug; the undigested rock in my stomach smacking around and pulverizing my organs into pulp.

_Why didn't I just say 'no'!?_

Sue released me seconds later after a second goodbye and pat on the back. I just smiled cheesily and met Leah's gaze and motioned for her to follow me to the front door.

I didn't see the waffle anywhere.

Only once we were outside on the safety of the front porch did she give me a small punch in the arm.

"You asshole! Why didn't you just say 'no' to her! She wouldn't have minded!" She lectured with a small smile on her face.

"I didn't know they'd be that bad!"

"When someone around here tells you not to do something, don't do it!"

"Alright, alright, lesson learned." I stated, unconsciously rubbing my arm from where she hit me. She just smiled and shook her head, her arms crossed across her chest.

"What'd you do with the damn thing anyways?" I eventually asked after moments of silence.

At this Leah's smile grew even wider.

I watched in both shock and amusement as she reached down into her over-sized t-shirt and pulled out the wanna-be waffle.

"Oh, Leah, you shouldn't have!" I laughed as she chucked it across the yard and into the woods where we heard it land with a deep 'thump'.

"Only for you Caroline, only for you. Had it been anyone else I would have forced it down their throat." She explained to me, her easy smile still in place.

"Well I thank you Leah. You have no idea how much I love you right now." I figured a hug was asking for too much, so I settled for a grateful nod before shuffling down the steps with my backpack in tow.

"Speaking of love, Caroline," Leah said, causing me to freeze, "nice hickeys." And with that she cackled out loud at her own words, the noise echoing across the clearing of the yard.

I just shook my head and continued down the stairs.

The bitch was a sadist, but that just made me love her all the more.

* * *

Dad wasn't home when I got there, so it really didn't faze me. I assumed he was at Billy's before even stepping through the door and wasn't disappointed. There, on the mirror in the foyer, was post-it note with his scrawled handwriting explaining where he was.

Go figure.

I plucked it off the mirror and crumpled it up on the way upstairs to my room, making sure everything was in the same way it had been when I left last night.

You have no idea how much better I felt knowing Seth had the spare house key rather than Embry.

Dropping my bag to the floor once in my own living environment, I surveyed my room for any options as to what to do now. My eyes immediately landed on the two cardboard boxes I had received in the mail a while ago when on one of my Seth-deprived days before the wolf was out of the bag (so to speak).

I didn't have anything else better to do, so why not?

I cleared out all the debris that had piled up around them and dragged the both of them down the stairs simultaneously, too lazy to make a second trip. Once in the kitchen I dug around for a proper knife to cut through the layers of packaging tape to get inside.

It was hard to even tell who sent them due to the rain damaged return address and my only guess was that they came from Hawaii.

I was proved right when I finally hacked my way through the last layer of tape and pulled open the flaps on the first box to reveal a giant black trash bag swollen with contained air.

Leave it to one the guys back home to send me a body through the mail.

I pulled the bag from its box, weary as to what could possibly be inside. I poked and prodded it for a few seconds, making sure nothing inside was alive and moving and then waited to see if any odor of death seeped through and filled the kitchen.

After about five minutes I figured it was safe enough to open and half clawed/half bit viciously at the drawstring top. I could have cut it open, but what if what ever was inside got cut too?

Finally, after biting off a small chunk of finger flesh in the process, did the strings open and I peered down inside, shocked at what I saw.

It was clothes!

Clothes!

And they were damn nice clothes too!

Reaching in I pulled out a strapless baby blue dress with golden overlays and a small bow on the breast. After that were a few skirts, most of them knee length and very expensive looking. There were even shoes!

What the hell?!

I'm so glad I didn't stab the bag!

I didn't know whether to be mad or jump for joy.

I dug through the rest of the bag, leaving most of the stuff inside and frequently 'ooh' and 'ahhed' and random intervals.

This was probably the best mail I ever got!

With new found excitement I had the second box open in a heart beat, only instead of another trash bag, there was a smaller box with FRAGILE written in red marker and surrounded with plastic peanuts.

As gently as I could manage I got the smaller box from the bigger one and carried it over to the table were I sat it down and continued to cut it open, the whole time bouncing with excitement as to what would be inside.

Finally, when it was completely clear if tape, did I flip it open to find even more peanuts.

Ooooooo! I'd have to dig!

Feeling around in the foamy chunks of nuts my hand made contact with a box, small, thin, and rectangular. Pulling it out I realized it was a videotape, the words 'Watch Me' staring back at me.

Alrighty then.

I'd watch it.

Making my way into the living room I flipped the TV to right setting and slid the tape into the VCR.

Shocking that we still have one, right?

I pressed play and waited; the screen snowed out in black and gray until it crackled and came to life, making me cover my mouth in shock.

There, on the screen in front of me, was my house.

My home.

My island.

The camera panned across our old house and yard, the busted up swing set still standing and the front flowerbed still completely over grown. Everything was so vibrantly colored; the rainbow of the flowers, the blue-ness of the sky, and most importantly, the yellow of our house.

_"Is this thing on?" _I gasped out in surprise, immediately recognizing the voice.

_"Dude, make sure it's on! The last time we tried this it wasn't!" _And then, without much notice at all, my bestest friend in the whole wide world came into view, still looking the same as ever.

_"Can I go? Are you ready?" _The camera seemed to nod, moving up and down slowly.

_"Great! Caroline, if you're watching this then that means you've successfully opened the first box. Congratulations!" _Poot's smile was practically contagious. He was the first boyfriend I ever had and was the first guy that would ultimately start my problem of only dating gay men.

I had actually helped him find his first boyfriend.

_"We haven't seen or heard from you in a while and with all the free time around here we've made you a video compilation of everything you've missed. First of all, Kev proposed!" _He giggled madly like the gay little fag he is while holding up his left hand, the simple silver engagement band glittering in the light.

_"The wedding will be in few months and there are two tickets in the box that this video came in. Bring your dad or something, I don't care, but you're my person of honor! I call you this because gay men aren't really supposed to have 'maids' so sorry honey!" _I laughed at this, knowing full well he'd love to be surrounded by 'maids' pampering him.

_"So right now you may have noticed that we're at your old house. Hasn't changed much, it's still nice and deliciously messy just like you! This is the first stop on our little 'home away from home' tour," _he stated, finger quoting himself to add emphasis, _"so for the next hour you're going to have a front row seat on the Gay Man tour of your Native home!" _Only Poot, whose real name was actually Dave, would walk around for an hour with his life partner and film everything just to mail it to me.

So for the next hour I laughed and cried as things from my childhood flashed across the screen, Poot commentating the whole way. He interviewed some of my other gay friends along with some girls I knew from school, people I've worked with, random tourists, and finally, he ended his on-tape rendezvous by our favorite place on the beach. It was from this one vantage point just a mile from our house that you could practically see the whole island and the ocean simultaneously.

I felt my eyes well up at the sight of the sun setting, the blinding rays of orange and yellow slipping ever so slowly down beyond the horizon.

_"This is last stop on the tour, and my most favorite. Can you believe we actually rehearsed this whole thing? I mean the interviews weren't, but the walking around and stuff was. Can you imagine getting lost in the jungle? I don't know about you, but those palm leaves don't seem like they'd be very friendly on your toosh, okay?!" _I laughed at this and so did Kevin, Poot's life mate, who I've only see a handful of times throughout this whole thing.

_"Well we must say goodbye at this point, Caroline, for there are many things to be done for our sort of illegal wedding. We hope you've enjoyed this wonderful little tour of everything you've already seen and know, but still love anyways. If you haven't opened that other box yet, all that's in it are some clothes from…drum roll, please Kev," _He commanded to the other gay man whose version of a drum roll was stomping his feet on the ground and making everything jiggle, _"from my new line! I've been officially signed with a store on the main island that wants to sell my clothing! The stuff you got are all the demos I've made up, which pretty much means they're one of a kind, so if you go mud wrestling make sure you're not wearing any P.K.C. fashions, alright, darling? We've got to go now, so we're signing off with oodles of kisses and the hopes that we'll see you really, really soon! Toodles, baby!" _And with that the camera zoomed out past Poot and his goofish face to the sunset, where it was practically almost gone except for the last lingering rays.

I smiled sadly to myself, hoping for the same exact thing.

* * *

I didn't even hear Seth come in until his arms wrapped around my waist and caused to me to have an almost-seizure in surprise. He laughed and buried his head in my shoulder despite the fact I was smacking him away to finish what I was doing.

"When'd you get all those?" He asked, looking at the collage of pictures I had been working on before he so rudely interrupted.

"I opened some mail today. Figured I had nothing else to do." I attempted to shrug, but with the dead weight of his head I got nowhere.

"Leah told me about the waffles. It's nice you tried to humor mom, but she knows her waffles are horrible, so don't feel too bad."

"Gee, thanks." He gave another laugh at this and quietly surveyed my newly made wall of pictures.

Poot and Kev had taken and sent that many.

"All are these people your friends?" Seth finally asked, his arms tightening around my waist just ever so slightly.

"They're my family back in Hawaii. Adoptive family, of course, but family nonetheless." I explained, leaning my head down to rest against his. I was standing on a step stool which just barely made us the same height.

"Whose that?" He asked, raising a hand to signal out Poot.

I wondered how long it'd take him to get curious.

"That's Poot."

"A what?"

"Poot." I smiled. "His real name's Dave, but everyone calls him that. He was the first boyfriend I ever had," the arms considerably tightened at this, "and also my first gay. He waited two weeks to tell me." Seth released a breathy laugh at this as if realizing how close he had been to being jealous.

"They all look like some fun people. How come you don't have any pictures of your real family up?" Oooo, tough question, that one.

"I…well…I just don't have a lot. There're pictures of my brother downstairs, but since he's overseas it's hard to get recent ones; they're some baby ones in albums, I think."

"What about your parents?" I wasn't quite sure how to answer this seeing how I've never really been asked.

"My dad has most of them; he keeps them in his room. I have a few of my mom, but I keep them in a special place because they're so old; they're mostly of her as a kid in Poland."

"You're Polish?" The surprise was evident in his voice and I wasn't really surprised when he pulled away to look at me.

"Uh…kind of."

"Oh, please, elaborate. I must know more!"

"Why is this relevant?"

"It's your heritage, Cee, c'mon."

"Ha! I haven't heard that before!"

"Please?" I was about to argue some more until he whipped out the ultimate weapon: puppy dog eyes.

"Fine…my grandma was pregnant with my mom when she emigrated from her native homeland of Poland to Hawaii after her first husband died of a heart attack. My grandmother then met her second husband, who was a tourist from Virginia and fell in love, resulting in them to pack up and move. They lived there for about three years until the marriage went downhill and mom and grandma went back to Poland. My grandma was apparently happy for a while, but just couldn't get Hawaii out of her head, so they went back."

"What happened next?"

"Well…my mom grew up and did all the 'trials of life' and what not, then by freak accident met my dad."

"Freak accident?"

"Yeah. It must run in the family."

"What do you mean?"

"Well my dad was on one of his off days from the military base, so him and some buddies were hittin' the town; going to bars, pickin' up chicks, that sort of thing, until a freak thunderstorm blew in and made him run into the nearest store, which happened to be a fish market."

"Seems alright to me."

"Just wait for it."

"Ok, I can wait."

"Good. Anyways, mom had been sent out by grandma to get some fresh tuna for dinner, so she went out and was caught in the very same thunderstorm while in the fish market."

"I think I see where this is going."

"No…you don't."

"What!?"

"Just hear me out…so, mom and dad are both in the fish store. Dad's drunk and has been ditched by his buddies. Mom's getting fish for dinner _and _meeting her secret boyfriend of two years."

"Oooooo!"

"Yeah, I know. Mom meets up with her man and they somehow get into a fight over something, I'm not sure what, and dad, being drunk and all, assumes it's worse than it actually is, so he grabs a random fish from a stand and makes his way over to break it up."

"Are you being totally serious?" Seth's face was priceless.

"Yes, I'm dead serious. I've heard this story at least a hundred times, so I know it's true."

"So your dad beats off this guy with a fish?"

"Yup, saves the damsel in distress and she drives him back to the base where they exchange numbers and get the ball rolling." Seth was quiet for a few seconds, processing this whole chunk of my family history.

"Why can't my family be that cool?" He eventually asked, making me laugh and get down off my stool.

"One day, Seth. Maybe one day it will be."

"So you're technically not Hawaiian at all?" He asked looking me dead in the eye, a smile on his face.

"Hey, hey, hey! First of all I find that offensive, and second of all I do consider myself Hawaiian because I was born and raised there. It's just in me."

"But…"

"But, if we were to get technical about everything, then yes, I am not Hawaiian, but actually half Quileute and half Polish, it's just that my mom's side is more dominant in me so I don't look too much like dad."

"And the truth is revealed!" He whispered mystically, pulling me into a bone crushing hug that could rival his mother's.

"Yes, the truth about Caroline is revealed. Can I finish putting my pictures up now?"

"As long as I get to watch."

"I really don't care what you do."

"Alright then!" He let me almost as swiftly as he found me, but didn't go too far. Stepping back up on my stool I heard him walking around my room, most likely picking up my various knick knacks and examining them. After a while I eventually tuned him out until the sudden clearing of a throat made me look over my shoulder.

"Cee…?" He asked, standing over by my new box of clothes.

"…yeah?"

"Where'd these come from?" He asked, nodding down at the box.

"...Poot sent them. They're from his new clothing line. Why?" I asked, eyes narrowing ever so slightly at all the questions.

"No reason. It's just that...you know...can we try this out later?" He asked oh so casually, pulling one of Poot's more revealing lingerie pieces out from behind his back. My cheeks immediately flushed and I stumbled on the stool.

"I think I'm going to like this guy." He smiled, obvious mischief in both his voice and eyes.

_Oh dear lord…_

* * *

**So there we are, the end of a new chapter!**

**And I'd like to apologize for the last chapter with the confusion and all. I'm not a fan of the line/section divider things, so I put little symbols between the paragraphs and they apparently didn't show up, so SORRY!!!**

**I' hope you all enjoyed and review! Mucho appreciation, peace! ~Fluff**


	18. Chapter 17

**_Alrighty folks, I know I have been gone for what feels like FOREVER, but believe me, it's been crazy. Between graduating high school, applying to colleges, looking for a job, getting classes scheduled, paying for tuition and books, and also finding a car, I've been busy. _**

**_Sorry for any errors or anything, it's 1:12 am and I'm kinda tired, but too lazy to truly edit or wait till tomorrow to post, so you get what you get. I think it's pretty good though, but still, sorry ahead of time for any problems. _**

**_And lastly, thanks to all who have I added me totheir Author Watch List and have read and complimented; you guys are the reason I try so hard to update as fast as I can! Thanks, and much love, Fluff :)_**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any associated shtuff.**

**_When The Wind Blows_**

**_Chapter 17_**

**_I Think Something Worse Than Shit Has Just Hit The Fan…Maybe My Sanity?_**

**S.P.O.V.**

Something was poking my leg…hard.

Rolling away from the source and onto my other side I thought I had gotten rid of it, but apparently not. For a fleeting second I thought it was Caroline, but knew that to be impossible.

She was at her own house sleeping, not over here at mine.

"Seth, honey, you need to get up." Mom's voice broke through the silence while the poking on my calf still continued.

"Whhhhaaaattttttt…?" I mumbled from my face down position in the pillow. Ever since Bella had gotten knocked up we haven't been exactly been sleeping in or lazing around a lot.

"Caroline's on the phone, sweetie; she said that Dr. Cullen is at her house asking for you." Now that got my attention. Reaching up and around behind me I felt blindly for the phone, my face still smashed down in the plush of the pillow. Mom placed the cordless receiver in my hand after catching it and waited in patience as I maneuvered it around to my ear.

"Cee…?" I asked, not exactly sure who was on the other end.

"Sorry Seth, I know you're sleeping, but Dr. Cullen is here and he says he needs to see you; that it's 'imperative'." I could practically see Caroline finger quoting the word 'imperative', thinking it's funny that Carlisle used such a serious word.

"Give me ten minutes." I mumbled and hung up, knowing she wouldn't wait around for me to say goodbye. Forcing my head from the down-feathery goodness I flipped back over to face mom and handed the phone over to her.

"Everything alright?" She asked, her brows knitted together in slight confusion as to what was going on.

"Carlisle wants to see me; apparently it's 'imperative'."

"Better get on it kid." She said with a small slap to my leg that she thought would get me going, but in all reality just felt like a small bug bite. Falling back into the bed I relished in the softness of the comforter and pillows before I sensed that mom was still there and standing in the doorway. Looking up I met her gaze from across the room and was about to ask what else she wanted until she opened her mouth first.

"How about I make you some waffles before you go; I know how much you like them?" She suggested with a smile and small laugh. She seemed genuinely serious, which was all the more reason to get out of bed faster and out the door.

I had a vampire to see.

* * *

"Cee….why are you holding a whisk like you're going to beat someone with it?" I wasn't too surprised when I walked through the front door of the Mavnik household to find Caroline with a wide eyed look like that of a crazed person holding a whisk up like a dagger. She was poised halfway between the kitchen and the living room, apparently not sure as to which room to charge into.

"…it's been a long morning…" She said vaguely as I attempted to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Behind her and into the kitchen I could see Carlisle sitting at the kitchen table, his medical bag on the floor at his feet.

"Oh yeah, it's been a week." I said more to myself than Caroline.

"Yeah, well, I'm all healed up save for a few scars and what not…I'll be upstairs if you need me…" She trailed off once more, untangling herself from my arms and backing away slowly, her whisk still firmly in her hand and air. I watched in thinly veiled amusement as she shot a seemingly strangled smile to Carlisle until she was finally out of the room and making a break for the stairs.

I waited until I heard the sound of her bedroom door shutting before entering the kitchen and sitting myself down across from the doctor.

"So she's all good?" I asked, double checking Caroline's story to make sure she had heard all the details right.

"She's perfectly fine. All the shrapnel from the dishes are gone and her stitches are out. She'll have a few scars, but they should shrink up over time and become less noticeable."

"Good, good…now can I ask why she had a whisk?" Carlisle laughed at this and shook his head, making me slightly weary as to what I had missed.

"Forgive me for this, but I just assumed that since you had told her about the werewolf situation then you had also explained my situation." Oooooooooh, yeah, the vampire thing…whoops.

"Uh, yeah," I coughed, trying to clear my throat of the rising panic, "I haven't really gotten that far yet…" Carlisle merely laughed once more and waved me off.

"No problems. It's only natural she would be scared."

"She didn't freak out on you did she?" I asked as casually as I could. "No screaming, yelling, random acts of violence, that sort of thing?"

"She was fine, save for the whisk." The doctor explained to me, a smile still on his features.

"Why did she have one? That's pretty random, but then again it is Caroline, so I'm not too surprised."

"It was the first thing she could grab out of the dish drainer," Carlisle explained with a thoughtful expression on his face, "I don't think I've ever been quite so entertained by a human before." I laughed at this, not really knowing what else to do.

"I'm taking that as a compliment." I stated, knowing he had seen his fair share of strange humans throughout the years.

"Yes, well, she'll definitely keep you on your toes, so good luck with that." I nodded my head in thanks and noticed as a grim expression slowly made its way onto Carlisle's face, his humorous attitude taking a sudden break.

"Caroline's not the only reason you're here, is it?" I asked, already knowing his answer.

"No, she's not," He stated with a tone that was as grim as his eyes, "we seem to have a bigger problem on our hands; one that can't be solved easily and is very touchy."

"Is it Bella?" I asked quietly, hoping to god that Cee wasn't somehow eavesdropping.

"It pertains to her, yes."

"What it is? I heard she was pregnant and that Edward wanted to destroy it; did that happen? Is it gone?" I asked eagerly, unconsciously aware that I was slowly sliding closer t the edge of my seat.

"No, it's hasn't been destroyed, quite the opposite really; it's been born and is growing at an alarming rate. Bella has named it Renesmee."

"But I thought that thing could have killed her?" This was definitely a surprise I didn't see coming. Last I heard at the council meeting was that Bella was most likely going to die from the sheer growing force of the mutant child.

"Well Bella has survived and is doing quite well; she's one of us now." The vampire stated softly, apparently waiting for some blow-up of a reaction from me despite the fact that I wasn't even angry.

I was kind of numb, actually.

"So Bella's been…changed?" I gulped, remembering the klutzy teen girl and her many accidents.

"Yes, she has, and her child is healthy as an Ox."

"What else is there?"

"Well Sam already knows this, as does a lot of other members of your pack, but Jacob seems to have imprinted on Bella's daughter."

"WHAT!" I yelled, completely thrown for a loop at this tid-bit of info; how was this even possible? Carlisle must have seen my mind reeling behind my wide eyed stare and cleared his throat to further elaborate.

"Jacob feels certain that he has imprinted on Bella's daughter, which is as surprising to you as it to me. Never in my wildest of thoughts could I have imagined this to be possible."

"It's sick!" I felt my voice rise despite my failing attempts at keeping it low-key. Carlisle just merely stared at me; he must have been expecting something like this all along, but had been denied until now.

"How can Jake imprint on Bella's daughter when he's still head over heels in love with Bella! That's definitely going to be an awkward conversation for later!"

"How so, Seth?"

"'How so? Well it'll be like 'sorry babe, but I still have thoughts of banging your mom, so let me go fantasize and be back in a minute!'" Carlisle's expression was purely unreadable. Somewhere in the back of my mind a nagging voice that sounded oddly like Caroline was screaming at me that I had gone too far, yet at the same time, another voice was comforting me, telling me that I had fully expressed myself as to where I stood on the situation.

From across the table Carlisle gave me a measured look, his eyes skipping a few blinks and his hands moving with practiced ease to form a steeple with his fingers for his chin to rest on. He seemed to be calculating his words very carefully; making me even more nervous about hearing them than if he would just spit them out.

"I understand where you're coming from, Seth. The others didn't react very well either, but believe me when I say my family wasn't too pleased either. We have a very difficult time ahead of us and I'm forewarning you now of the looming complications."

"Complications?"

"Yes. I'm strictly telling you this information for the sake of Caroline." By this point I was hanging onto every single syllable coming out his mouth; he could have told me a wheel of cheese was my mother and I would have believed him.

"We have reason to believe that the Volturi are coming here, to Forks."

"…Volturi? Who are they? Why are they com—"

"The Volturi are a group of very powerful vampires," The doctor said, leaning even further across the table towards me, his voice lowering ever so slightly, "they're very ancient and have been around longer than any known vampire, including myself. They take it upon themselves to protect our kind from discovery and dispose of all who learn or threaten our secret. You should remember them from last year when you helped Edward take down Victoria."

"I remember her, but these vulture things aren't ringing any bells."

"Understandable; I don't think you were around when they showed up."

"So in a nutshell they're bad?"

"Yes, very bad." Great; more shit to add to my ever growing pile of problems.

"And how do these guys relate to Caroline?"

"If and when the Volturi come they have the power to overrule us and go beyond our normal hunting boundaries; they're pretty much the vampire equivalent of royalty, so what they say and do is law. We'll have no power to tell them what to do should they decide to come looking around down here…" He trailed off, his eyes never leaving my horrified face.

I could practically feel the air current whipping in and out of my gaping mouth.

"…they could come down here?" I finally managed to utter, only to receive a grim shake of the head from Carlisle.

"Does Sam know?"

"Not yet. Edward is at home explaining everything to Jacob right now as we speak. Jacob will then relate everything he knows over to Sam who will then tell your council."

"So you're telling me I need to get Caroline out of here as soon as possible?"

"I was wondering if you were picking up on that." Funny man, this vampire doctor.

"What if she doesn't want to go?" I asked, already getting a mental image of how this is going to go down.

"Just remember that we can offer no assistance; we might not ever be able to help ourselves. Bella's daughter has definitely put us all on the Volturi's black list." I nodded in understanding, my head spinning too fast to form any coherent words. Carlisle seemed to wait for me, giving another one of his measured stares before reaching down and collecting his tools in his medical bag.

"Thanks…" I managed to mutter before he stood; a gentle smile on his face despite the fact his eyes were still dark and grim.

"I'm sure things will work out." He stated quietly, still taking in my dazed expression. Just as he was passing me to exit through the living room did a question bubble into my head, making me call out to him to stop. He turned slowly, an expectant expression on his face.

"How…how do you make someone leave when you know they'd rather stay with you?" The doctor seemed to ponder my question, his mouth set in concentrated line while he concocted an answer.

"Sometimes, Seth, we need to do things that we don't want to do; like hurting other people. I often find that if this other person is truly meant for you, then they'd eventually forgive you for hurting them despite the fact that your actions were meant solely for their well being." I nodded slowly in understanding and gave Carlisle a small smile to signify my thanks because of my lack of words. He merely nodded back and proceeded to exit via the front door.

Sitting in the silence of the kitchen his words seemed to take on an even greater weight. Were things really going to get as bad as he said they would?

And what was I going to do about Caroline? I couldn't very well tell her she's my imprint now and then turn around and tell her to go hide out somewhere far, far away because there was a chance she could be eaten by vampire royalty.

Sighing in defeat I turned back to the table and allowed my head to drop forwards, my forehead squarely hitting the table and making the salt and pepper shakers dance. In the background I could faintly hear the sound of a TV set to some sort of comedy channel, most likely Comedy Central. It could have only been coming from Caroline's room because her dad wasn't home and the living room was practically dead, as was the rest of the house.

Squeezing my eyes shut tightly as to block out all the random thoughts flying through my head I remembered back to one very unforgettable conversation that I had had with Colonel Carver. It was a conversation in which I had promised both him and Cee that they could trust me, and also a conversation in which the Colonel had admitted that Caroline's nerves were running thin from all the goings-on.

How am I supposed to get rid of my soul-mate; aren't they supposed to be stuck to you forever?

* * *

Kinda short, but not really; not bad for my first update considering it's been a while. Chapters will hopefully be popping up like fungus for now, so just bear with me here and just review, review, and review! Thanks ~ Fluff


	19. Chapter 18

_So here's another chapter that hopefully hasn't made you wait too long. I admit that it is short, but hey, at least it's an update! I've redone my profile bio for those of you who like that stuff and will also be adding more banners in the Banner section of Caroline and Seth. _

_Thanks for all the great reviews, you guys are awesome! A special thanks to Summer's Sunlight for making me completely re-think the ending; I have to admit that I was going to do what you said you hoped I wouldn't! I'm now coming up with a BETTER ending that's less cheesy and more original...I hope! And also a special thanks to Corruptmonk ; that private message was so sweet!_

_**When the Wind Blows**_

_**Chapter 18**_

_**I Need A Young Priest And An Old Priest**_

**S.P.O.V**

I never really saw myself as the kind of guy that would root through his girlfriend's drawers, but here I was. Caroline was pretty much out for the count; her steady breathing was the only sound in the entire room if you didn't count my muffled footsteps.

After Carlisle had left and I had properly explained the whole vampire situation, Cee had forced me to bunker down on the sofa with her to watch some craptastic SyFy movie until she fell asleep. When I asked why I had to stay she just shrugged me off and said that we haven't watched a movie together in forever. I of course saw right through that lie and knew she was internally freaking out about the existence of immortals.

I humored her and only had to wait for two hours until she finally fell asleep, her forearm thrown across her face to shield her eyes from the light of the TV. From there I scooped her up and carried her upstairs to where I forced the comforter and sheets back with my foot, and flopped her unconscious form down onto the bed.

It's safe to say that the girl slept like a rock.

It was this fact alone that gave me the courage to actually root around the room to try and find some way, or thing, to get Caroline to leave. From what I could decode from Carlisle's cryptic words was that, in short, I was going to need to get rid of my imprint – and fast.

And in all reality I completely agreed with him. How was I going to handle pack responsibilities, fight off vampires, and still break the news to Cee that she was perpetually stuck with me?

From the many daydreams I've had, I've seen the whole imprint conversation go two completely different ways. I personally favor the first one: me and Cee go on a date, we have a great time, there's no problems, and I tell her she's my soul mate. She'll process this info, absorb it, and then ultimately be so happy she'll be speechless and never freak out ever again.

Now the second day dream, the not-so good one, goes like this: we go on a date, it's all good with no problems or anything. I break the imprint news to her, she freaks out, finds a random butter knife and gouges out my eyes and makes a break for the nearest airport to catch a flight back to her Hawaiian Gays.

Can you see why I like the first one?

So how does one get rid of their imprint? I've been thinking about it a lot in these past few hours, but still haven't come up with anything good. I could always deny my feelings for her and randomly end our relationship, like they do in those shotty teen movies? Would that be good?

No, it wouldn't. Caroline would get so mad she'd hang around and fume for days, so no; that one won't work.

What about forcing her to leave? Explain everything and tell her she has to go? Would that work? For some reason I want to say yes, that it would, but would it really? Would she really be so scared that she'd drop everything and run away from her friends, family, and even me?

I just can't see that happening either.

So how do I do this?

Her room didn't offer too many suggestions. All her knick knacks were arranged on her various dressers and really did nothing except decorate the room. A few plastic penguin figurines guarded the bookshelf, a few porcelain trinket boxes were dotted around amongst random candles, novelty holiday lights were woven around the mirror and desk legs; I just really wasn't getting anything.

Wasn't home décor supposed to speak to you?

Pulling my hands through my hair I sighed and dropped down into the rolly chair by the desk, causing it to roll back and hit the desk with my newly added weight. From behind me the room immediately lit up in a pale white light, promptly scaring the shit out of me. Whipping around I found that Cee's laptop was still open and on, sitting atop a pile of papers on her junk strewn desk. Spinning around I pushed myself closer to the desk, blocking the light of the screen from the rest of the room with my body. Glancing over my shoulder I found that Cee hadn't even budged; her back was still towards me and her breathing steady.

Looking back to the screen I found that she was still logged on to her account, her Fall Out Boy desktop looking back at me, almost teasing me to have a look around.

It couldn't hurt, right?

Checking once more to make sure Cee was dead asleep, I opened the internet and found myself typing in Facebook, wondering if Cee had the same bad habit I did of never logging out and instead just clicking the X in the corner of the screen. Granted, this way kept you logged in and saved you the hassle of always having to type in your username and password, but it also let snoopers, like me, in…if I were on the same computer…which I was.

And Cee didn't disappoint.

Open wide before me was Caroline's Facebook page, and more importantly, a red message alert sign in the top left hand corner. Hovering the mouse about the tiny speech bubble, I saw that it was an ongoing conversation between Cee and Poot, her gay friend from back home.

Should I open it? Would she notice that someone besides her had read it and it was no longer red? Would she ever think it was me who went through her stuff? What should I do?

Forcing myself to swallow the ever growing knot of betrayal in my throat, I clicked on the little, unholy, red chat bubble and watched as the online message popped up before me. I skimmed some of the earlier messages, not really wanting to fully read them because that felt worse than just skimming. Once I got past Caroline's most recent reply, dated a few days ago, did I see Poot's new message.

The one she didn't even know she had.

_"Seth seems like such a great guy! I know I haven't met him, but from the way you talk about him and the pictures you've sent he seems like a perfect fit for you, so you better hold onto that chunk of man meat! If not I'll gladly take him! _

_And what's up with you not wanting to come back here? You have 2 perfectly good plane tickets and no excuses! My wedding's only three weeks away and I thought you'd be down here by now? What's the hold up, darling? This is so unlike you! _

_Nothing's happened with your dad, right? I'm sure you would have told me if something did. In all honesty, Caroline, I'm concerned about you; just a few months ago you were threatening to burn Washington to the ground and now you don't want to leave? This Seth must be a character!_

_Any who, find those balls that I know you have and get your ass on a plane and down here to be my Person of Honor! Bring Seth if you must; you know you'll be taken care of._

_I expect to see you soon, my little mermaid, so get on that shit! Give my love to your dad, also! Toodles! Xoxo_

_P.S. Kev says hi and misses you dearly, we both do!"_

Dear lord…it was both so right and so wrong at the same time.

Caroline didn't want to leave because of me, but at the same time wanted to go.

And when was she going to ask me to go with her? When did she even get the plane tickets?

Oh holy shit what do I do?

Exiting off the internet I shut down Cee's computer and closed it, hoping to god that she wouldn't notice it in the morning and think she did it. Forcing myself from the desk chair and crossing the room in five steps, I gave one last look at Cee's sleeping form.

She really was a piece of art, both fragile and as strong steel, but still human at the same time.

How does one go about mucking up masterpieces?

* * *

**C.P.O.V**

I was going to kill whoever left the blinds open because I know as sure as hell it wasn't me. I made it my duty to make sure every set of blinds was closed before I went to sleep because it was always hell in the morning. I wasn't one of those people who liked to wake up to sunshine streaming into the room from a beautiful day outside.

That shit belongs to Snow White.

Why would I want to wake up every morning with a dingy view of the outside world full of rain, clouds, and trees? I'd paint blue skies and puffy white clouds on my windows if I could.

Rolling away from the muted light outside, I tried in vain to go back to sleep, but couldn't. Mother Nature had already filtered in through the blinds and fucked up my morning, stupid ho.

Yawning and stretching from the fetal position I had slept in I surveyed the kingdom of junk before me, taking in the piles of dirty laundry and dishes, random books and newspapers, shoes, and other stuff I didn't even know I owned.

It wasn't until I made an attempt to crawl out of bed towards the bathroom that I noticed something was off. Looking back at all the masses of stuff I owned my eyes landed on the desk, loaded down with more books and old school stuff I had been going through the other day.

Why did the scene before me just not seem right?

Everything looked fine; my laptop was still there, my iPod nano was peeking out from beneath an old English essay, my pens were order according to color, and my cell phone was still perched on the edge followed by a wide arrayment of other papers.

Huh.

Everything was where I remembered putting it.

Giving one last look at the desk before turning away, I finally managed to crawl out of bed and make it to the bathroom, stumbling in while flicking on the light.

Guess it was just Mother Nature and her blinding rays of overcast fucking with me again.

Stupid ho.

* * *

Thanks so much for baering with me guys, it's greatly appreciated. Chapters will most likely be shorter as I try to update faster and get the ending right. I want everything to be perfect so your reviews and patience are/is greatly valued! xoxo, Fluff


	20. Chapter 19

**_I'd like to think that this chapter pretty much speaks for itself and is, for the most part, original...at least from some other stuff I've seen...hopefully. Please enjoy and drop a review letting me know your reaction and/or thoughts. Thanks!_**

**_*****PLEASE SEE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT END!*****_**

_**When the Wind Blows**_

_**Chapter 19**_

_**We, As Humans, Are Such Fickle Things**_

**C.P.O.V**

"Hello?"

"Caroline?"

"Yeah?"

"This is Collin."

"Uh…hi?"

"Hey!"

"…can I help you…?"

"Oh yeah! I have question for you."

"Alrighty."

"I'm kinda nervous."

"What exactly are going to ask me?"

"Weeeeeeellllllllllll…there's this dance at school…"

"…okaaaaaay?"

"And I don't have a date yet..."

"Collin…are you asking me to be your date?"

"…yeah."

"Why?"

"I, uh, well, funny story! The other day I wa—"

"Just spit it out!"

"I told some guys at school I was seeing this older woman who was coming to the dance with me!"

"You think I'm old!"

"What? No, no, no, not at all!"

"Then why did you call me a woman? Do I look thirty to you?"

"No, of course not!"

"I'm only seventeen, Collin, jesus!"

"I know, but to them that's old!"

"How young are these guys?"

"…well…we're all freshmen if that means anything?"

"…"

"Caroline?"

"Yes, Collin?"

"Will you go with me?"

"Let me get back to you on that." And with that I hung up the phone, already tired of the new day that hadn't even started. Dumping my cell phone back onto the nightstand I rolled over and burrowed deeper into my covers, relishing in their warmth and softness. Just as I was starting to get comfortable, my serenity was shattered once more as the shrill ringing of my phone shot everything to hell. Flipping back over I looked at the caller ID this time, wondering if it was Collin calling back to ask me about the dance once more only to find it was Billy Black's number. Sighing, I sat back up in bed and flipped the small device open.

"Hello?"

"Caroline?"

"Yes dad?"

"Do you know if Kai's bait shop back home has a website?"

"I dunno."

"Can you check for me?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm in bed?"

"It's eight o'clock, honey, shouldn't you up?"

"No."

"Well can you please go check for the website?"

"No."

"Please? For me?"

"When you put it like that then definitely no. Bye!" Snapping the phone shut I once again threw it back onto the nightstand in hopes that it'd remain silent for the rest of my snoozing. Fluffing the pillows to get them back to their original plumpness, I re-positioned them to my liking and was half way to letting my head fall into their down-feathery goodness when the phone rang out yet again. Groaning, I reached behind me and felt around until locating the vibrating piece of technology and bringing it around to look at the tiny screen, an unknown number blinking back at me. Not really wanting to answer it, but also curious as to who it could be, I internally fought with myself before flipping it open, my curiosity winning.

"Hello?"

"_CaroLINE! See Caroline all the guys would say she's mighty FINE! But mighty fine only got you somewh_—"

"EMBRY!"

"_I know you'd like to think your shit don't stank, but leee—_"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!"

"God, Caroline, I'm serenading you so quit interrupting me!"

"How did you get my number?"

"Seth's phone; god it was easy."

"Jesus christ Embry, get a life!"

"Well that wasn't very nice, not after all that singing I went through!"

"Your singing's shit, Embry; you're not black and you can't sing Outkast!"

"My god woman, you hurt me deep!"

"I'm not a woman now fuck off!" Snapping the phone shut with more force than necessary I gave it a hearty toss over the shoulder, not even bothering to aim for the nightstand. Knowing Embry now had my number was worse than a nightmare, maybe even hell itself. Groaning at this new bit of info, I allowed myself to be suctioned down further into the depths of my comforter in the hopes that it'd create a protective shield that would give me another hour or two of sleep. I once began to relish in the complete silence around me, thankful that mother nature had decided to give me a break on the rain and that dad was at Billy's, both allowing me to catch up on some much needed sleep.

I could feel myself starting to tip over the fine line that separated reality from dreams, loving how the falling sensation rivaled that of a rollercoaster. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier as my thoughts slowed to crawl and…DAMN THAT PHONE!

If was smart I would have turned it off after the first three interruptions, but no, I left it on in hopes no one else would decide to call. Sighing, I tried my best to ignore it, knowing it took exactly seven seconds until my voicemail kicked in; saving me from the ring tone that I once thought was cool until it became the literal sound of hell.

Seven seconds later I released the breath I had been holding in due to the irrational thought that the voicemail mechanism might actually fail, something that was almost laughable. Smiling to myself, I once again began to doze off, only to hear that god forsaken noise moments later, shattering my delicate state of sleep.

Whipping myself out of bed, I crossed the room to the door where the phone had landed from it's throw and practically clawed to get I open.

"GOOD MORNING, THIS IS CAROLINE, HOW THE HELL CAN I HELP YOU?"

"Oooo, Cee, rough night?"

"Seth?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you want?"

"Ouch, why the third degree?"

"Because I'm fucking tired and people keep calling me for the stupidest of reasons and all I want to do is get at least another hour in, please god, that's all I ask."

"How late were you up?"

"I dunno; all I remember is seeing the number five on the clock when I crawled into bed."

"Jesus, Caroline, what were you doing?"

"Some kind of video chat thing with Poot…he finally convinced me to get one."

"You mean Skype?"

"Yeah, that thing."

"And you were up till five?"

"Technically it was two back in Hawaii."

"My god, Cee…"

"Yeah, yeah, save it for later; what did you want? I guess I'm up for the day."

"Well…it's not anything major…I was just wondering if you'd meet me at the beach?"

"I'm not even going to ask why; just give me an hour."

"Great, see you soon." And with that he hung up, simple as that.

Sighing in defeat I turned towards the bathroom, disposing of my phone on the way, not really sure as to where it landed from my sideways toss.

It could spontaneously combust for all I cared.

* * *

Thank god it was only Seth who was going to be seeing me.

Getting dressed didn't go as smoothly as I thought it would; the laundry had taken a back seat to all the recent going-ons and my closet and dressers were practically bare, leaving me with very slim pickings. Through a good twenty minutes worth of digging I managed to scrounge up a pair of black yoga pants that smelled remotely clean along with a tank top and a sweater Poot had sent in his big box of clothes for yours truly. It wasn't the most attractive thing, but it was better than the stiffness of my wool coat yet surprisingly thick for warmth. Lacking in socks, I was forced to shove my pants down into a pair if busted up gray Uggs that were a thrift store find and forced my greasy hair back into a white beret with a questionable brown stain that was pre-existing when I bought it.

So you could really blame me for being self-conscious?

Taking the trail through the woods, now no longer afraid like I was that day so long ago, I easily reached the beach with time to spare to find Seth not yet there, something I found surprising; I just assumed he'd be waiting. Shrugging for no particular reason I set off at snail's pace down the beach, idly kicking at bits of rocks and shells along the way, my hands pulled up into the sleeves so my fingers wouldn't fall off from the chill of the wind. Periodically I would gaze out at the ocean, my imagination trying hard to replace the choppy gray water with the brilliant blue I knew so well, only it just wasn't the same.

Trying to replace gray with blue was like trying to replace the Eiffel tower with a pinwheel: it just wouldn't work.

I mulled these things over hard, wondering if the Parisians would accept a pinwheel as their monument when a sudden hand on my shoulder ripped me from my thoughts. Looking to my left I found Seth eyeing me with an even gaze, an unreadable expression on his face that I had only seen on rare occasions.

"Nice sweater." He stated, his eyes trailing down to the large black cat knitted across the whole of my torso; god only knows while Poot put a cat on a sweater.

"Thanks," I grimaced, "it's a P.K.C experiment." I explained, running my hand over the misshaped animal, almost as if trying to pet it.

"A what?" Seth asked, looking back up to briefly meet my gaze.

"It was in that box of stuff Poot sent me; a bunch of experiments for his clothing line." I smiled weakly, thinking about all the other stuff I had pulled out of the box that outweighed the good.

"Ah." Seth said simply, shoving his hands deep into his pockets and looking out to horizon where I had been staring seconds before. An awkward silence then continued to settle over us and stand between us like a giant elephant; awkward because I had no idea what was going on. I absentmindedly continued to stroke the cat upon my sweater while stealing quick glances over at Seth's face; he seemed to be focusing pretty hard on something.

Deciding not to interrupt, I turned away slightly to examine a small tide pool only to be distracted by the rustling of the trees and the emergence of a large black wolf, its movements slow and cautious.

"Uh, Seth?" I asked over my shoulder, my gaze not leaving the creature.

"It's only Sam; it's his turn to patrol this section of border."

"Oh." I said softly, watching as the canine version of Sam disappeared back into the wall of greenery as quickly as he came. Turning back to Seth I found that he was once again looking at me with the same unreadable expression on his face I saw minutes ago when he first arrived.

"Seth, what are we doing here?" I finally asked, speaking what my subconscious had been yelling at me ever since arriving in the first place.

"We need to talk."

"Abooooouuuut…?" I asked, seemingly fishing for an answer in mid air due the fact that his unreadable façade was still in place.

"If I asked you to leave would you go?"

"I don't think I'm quite following you here…"

"If I told you to go, to leave here, would you?"

"…leave here as in the beach?"

"No. _Here_."

"Here as in La Push?"

"Yes."

"And why would I leave?"

"Because I asked you to."

"And why are you asking me to?" Seth sighed at this, almost as if he was impatient and talking to a three year old.

"Do you always have to know what's going on?" He asked, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "Can't you ever just go with the flow, just accept things the way they are?"

"I usually like to know what I'm accepting first." I stated softly, causing him to sigh once more and turn away.

"Why can't you just listen to me, just trust me for once?"

"I am listening; you're asking me to leave here, leave La Push. I do trust you, I have since we first met." With this he turned back around with more force than I thought necessary.

"No, Cee, that's where you're wrong; you haven't trusted me since we met. All you've done is second guessed me and doubted me and have just flat out not trusted me."

"Where's all this coming from, Seth? Did you just randomly decide to wake up all pissy this morning?"

"See, right there! You don't trust me!"

"How is that not trusting you? Is this why we're here; you don't think I trust you?" I asked, completely incredulous at the thought. "I'd trust you with my life."

"Then why won't you just answer my question?" He said running a hand through his hair, agitation clear on his face. "Would you leave if I asked you to?"

I swallowed at this, forcing the rising lump of emotion back down; he wasn't going to like my answer.

"I…" I started, not sure how to go on, "I don't know."

"My god Caroline, I'm not asking for a lot! All I want you to do is leave so you'll be safe!"

"Safe from what?" I asked immediately, watching Seth's face fall at the sudden realization that he said something he apparently didn't mean to.

"What am I leaving for Seth? What's going on now?" I demanded, my voice rising slightly.

"You're leaving because I'm commanding you to!" He finally snapped with a never before seen fire in his eyes that bore into mine, almost daring me to fight back.

"You're not 'commanding' me to shit! Tell me what's going on!" I snapped back, taking a step closer, daring him right back.

"Not this time Caroline, you're not getting your way!"

"Well that doesn't change the fact that I want to know what's going on!"

"Well I guess you're just going to have to deal with it and march your ass onto a plane still wondering!" Confusion fluttered across my face, something he clearly picked up on.

"Yeah, I said plane. You're going back to Hawaii."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are; why waste a perfectly good ticket?" Now this definitely had me stumped and caused me to momentarily lose words, resulting in a small stare off between us, "What plane ticket?" I asked eventually, having a slight idea already in mind.

"The one I found in your room."

"You went through my shit?" My exclaimed, my voice rising a few decibels. "And you wonder why I don't completely trust you."

"Oh no you don't, Caroline, you're not turning this on me."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm tired of your shit; you're so damn wishy washy it's hard to keep track of when you're mentally stable and when you're not!"

"Mentally stable?"

"Yes! One moment you're freaking out because you can't have your way, then the next because you're life is seemingly over an—"

"I never asked for any of this to happen to me!"

"Well it's what you got, Caroline, so you'll have to deal with it!"

"Well that's great, I always wanted a mythical creature for a boyfriend and to live in a place where a florist shop fucking exploded!"

"Why is everything here so hard for you to accept? Kim had no problem with Jared!"

"That's because she grew up with this stuff, she was brainwashed with it as a child!"

"Watch yourself Caroline; you're on a very thin line." He said darkly, all traces of his usual happy demeanor gone.

"Well good, I'd hate to be off my game today!"

"Why do you make life so damn difficult?"

"I don't make it difficult, Seth, it comes prepackaged that way!"

"No, it doesn't! You make it difficult because you need something to blow out of proportion, something to wallow over so you can soak in your own self misery and melodramatics!" I gulped at this, the verbal slap to the face stinging more than any physical one could.

"Is that what you really think of me?" I said quietly, still shocked about what he was accusing me of, "That I need to drama in order to live; in order to function?" I finished quietly, taking a step back from his shivering form.

"Yes." He admitted, not meeting my eye.

"Why now?" At this he looked up at me, confusion rolling around behind his anger.

"What do you mean?"

"You've had what; five months to get rid of me? Why now?" I asked, trying to fight back the liquid feeling behind my eyes; I'd be damned if I cried in front of him.

"I waited…because I thought you'd change; in fact I wanted you to." _Ouch, _I thought, realizing that what he was saying was affecting me more than anything else anyone has ever said to me, even my family.

"Who wants the live their life with a crazy person? With someone who freaks out over every small thing and blows shit so far out of proportion you don't even know what it is anymore? I can't keep going on like this Caroline; I think you need help, that you should see someone." He continued, throwing his hands up in the air as if to prove his point.

"I don't believe you." I blurted out, not one hundred percent sure of my words.

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I don't."

"Why?" _Ha! Good question._

"Be…Because you told me you loved to know what I was going to do next; what I was going to freak over…" I squeaked out, trying in vain to bring the memory fully into mind so as to reinforce its meaning to my subconscious.

"Yeah, I guess I did…but that was before I knew you, Cee, and I mean really knew you. You're not a healthy person." His words snapped me out of my trance, all the trace of tears now gone only to be replaced by anger.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're sick, that you got problems that I don't want to deal with anymore!"

"No one ever said you had to!"

"Well sorry for thinking I could help you out!"

"I never needed your help in the first place!"

"Good because you're not getting anymore because I'm done!" _SHNAP! _Another verbal slap right across the face, my mouth gaping in shock at his words as he turned away, his whole body shaking in a quiet rage.

"I dare you to say it to my face." I blurted out the challenge, fully believing him to be about fifty percent lying though that percent plummeted when he turned right around and marched back up to me so as to be right in my face.

"I. Am. Done. D-O-N-E. Done." He said, punctuating each and every part of the one syllable word before turning and walking away, his hand jerking through his hair once more in anger.

I stood still and watched him leave, frozen to my spot in the sand, my hands wringing the life out of each other not for warmth, but to ease the numb feeling of stopped blood flow. The liquid feeling once again rose behind my eyes, this time threatening to fall as I watched his retreating figure move quickly across the beach and into the wall of greenery.

It was exactly seven seconds before could feel the moisture slowly moving down my cheeks, the sting of the salty tears burning at my eyes.

It was exactly two before it started to rain.

Trying to replace tears with rain was like trying to replace gray with blue or the Eiffel Tower with a pinwheel: it just simply wouldn't work.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Thanks to all who have been reading up till this point and have left reviews and comments; you're greatly appreciated. For anyone who feels like they don't completely know what just happend feel free to express your thoughts and feelings with a review/comment, but keep in mind that all things eventually come full circle, meaning the next few chapters will have your answers.

Believe me when I say that this chapter was not easy - it's been deleted and re-typed so many times it's not even funny, but regardless, I feel like it's original enough not to be laughable or classified as cheap. Please express your thoughts/opinions so I know how I did because I'm seriously dying to know! ...just be nice, alright? 

Thanks again for your time and review/commenting efforts; they're greatly appreciated! ~Fluff

_P.S. I got some new Caroline and Seth banners on my bio page, so go check 'em out; you know you want to!_


	21. Chapter 20

_E-GAD! And update right after that doozy of a last chapter? It's a record! Thanks for all the fabulous reviews and comments (16! It's a record!), you guys are so very greatly appreciated!_

_Hopefully this chapter will answer any questions or wonderings of 'WHY GOD WHY!' that are flaoting around out there. ENJOY!_

_****AN at the end****_

**When the Wind Blows**

**Chapter 20**

**Welcome to Satan's Barbecue, How Many Are In Your Party?**

**S.P.O.V**

"SAM!" I yelled, frantic as hell, "SAM, SAM, SAM!"

"What! What's happened?" I heard him yell back while running out onto the front porch with Emily and the rest of the pack not too far behind.

"Damage control," I gasped, stopping at the foot of the stairs, and pointing back over my shoulder towards the beach, "I need damage control!" With my hands on my knees I rubbed at one of the various stitches in my side, peripherally seeing Sam motion the others back inside and coming down the stairs towards me.

"Just breathe, Seth, it's alright, its fine." He said, patting my back as he walked past me and towards the way I had just come, his stride picking up considerably as the rain continued to pour. I didn't watch as he disappeared into the forest's shadowy depths, but instead managed to crawl up the Uley's front steps until underneath the shelter of the roof, my back propped up against the wooden shingle siding. Closing my eyes I fought against the tears that I knew were forming behind my eyelids while my head continued to spin, my thoughts flying faster than a million miles per hour. In every square inch of my body I could feel my pulse, the rapid beating that could rival our tribal drums used in special ceremonies. The only thing I could hear was the fleeting blood flow in my ears, the white noise blocking out all other sounds from anywhere.

That's probably why I jumped a foot in the air at Emily's gentle hand on my head.

"Here," she said, pushing a gallon of water into my hands, "you've got to be thirsty." I accepted it with no complaints and chugged the jug dry, not even leaving a drop in the bottom. Handing it back wordlessly to her, I avoided all other forms of contacts, trying my damndest not to cry in front of the woman who was practically my second mother.

And maybe that's why I completely lost it when she suddenly threw her ams around my neck in awkward side hug, her voice whispering calming words into my ear as she attempted to rock me slowly back and forth. I didn't fight against it or even feel stupid or cared about what the guys would think; I was hurting badly and needed some sort of emotional rock.

"Sam will make sure she's okay, Seth, it'll be alright." Emily continued to whisper, her voice soft and gentle in my ear.

"I know…it's just…" I mumbled with a thick voice clouded with emotion, not really sure if she had actually heard me.

"It's just what?" She asked pulling away to hold me at arm's length, proving to me that she had.

"I lost it, Emily…I just lost it..." Her eyes grew wide at this and her grip on my arms tightened considerably causing my mind to immediately pick up on what she was thinking.

"Not like that, no, no, no; it was nothing like that!" I reassured her, watching her eyes flutter back to normal and a sigh of relief leave her lips as she fully released me and slumped back into the wall next to me, the empty water jug between us.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." She demanded, her voice still gentle yet fully stern with meaning.

"Hopefully there won't be an ever again." At this she looked sideways at me and placed a hand over mine, a gesture that was supposed to be comforting yet to me felt numb and useless.

"Tell me what happened Seth; it's best to talk about these things." She stated softly while giving my hand a small squeeze and an encouraging smile despite the fact I was just staring at her like she had grown a new head with five eyes.

"I think I went too far…" I started after looking away and back out into their small yard, the rain forming large puddles of murky brown water.

"What do you mean 'went too far'?"

"I made her cry…" I trailed off, my voice threatening to break once again.

"Oh honey, it's alright…tears are just a sign that we're human, that we have feelings. I'd be even more concerned if she didn't cry." I nodded at this, getting what she was saying though my subconscious was still accusing me of being the boogey man.

"After everything around here gets settled I know you two will work things out; you'll be able to fully explain what's been happening and she'll have ample time to adjust; Caroline seems like a pretty forgiving person." I nodded once more and tried to shrug off her last few words as they echoed around in my head, idly bouncing off of other déjà vu thoughts.

Where have I heard them before… ?

* * *

_**{Two Days Previous; S.P.O.V}**_

_"Now let me get this straight, Clearwater; you want Caroline to go back home?"_

_"Yes sir."_

_"And how are you going to do this, if you don't mind my asking?"_

_"Well…I don't really know, Colonel."_

_"Just as I thought."_

_"Do you think you could give me some help, or something to work with, anything at all?" _

_"Well I know she has two tickets for a flight back home that gay sent her a while ago…and that she also does something over the internet with him." _

_"Something over the internet?"_

_"I couldn't tell you boy if I tried; all I know is that she's up till the ass crack of dawn talking to her computer." _

_"I think I know what you're talking about; it's like Skype, right?"_

_"Damn if I know."_

_"Well that's a start, but I don't think it'll help any. I need her to be mad at me or something, to be so upset she'll want to leave."_

_"Well if that's what you're harpin' for then I got the solution."_

_"Really?"_

_"Didn't spend half my life in the military for nothin', boy." _

_"So what are you suggesting; is it dangerous?"_

_"Not particularly…"_

_"I don't think I like where this is going…"_

_"Calm down boy, don't get your draws in a twist!"_

_"Alright, fine; tell me what I need to do to get Caroline out of here so she'll be safe."_

_"Thank god she listens to you, Clearwater, or else we'd all be on a long boat ride to hell."_

_"Is that why you haven't tried to get to go back yet; she won't listen?"_

_"Bingo."_

_"…wow."_

_"I know! That girl's as hard headed as a mule and as feisty as a bobcat; you're going to need to be pretty believable when confronting her. By now she's use to your mannerisms to know what's going on up there in your thoughts and how to deal with them; how to manipulate them." _

_"Really?"_

_"Yes siree! She'll just turn around and throw your own words right back in your face unless you can get into her head first; she has the attack power of hawk, buddy. Smartest little girl I ever saw." _

_"Does she manipulate people on purpose?"_

_"Oh no, Clearwater, not on purpose; its part of her defense mechanism. Some people just turn themselves off while others use denial or avoidance, but not Caroline. Whenever she feels threatened she'll go into that sarcastic mood of hers and use her own anger to get you angry to a point where you're vulnerable in your expressions and body language. After that she'll read you like a book and throw you back on the shelf."_

_"That explains a lot…so how do I get behind enemy lines so to say?" _

_"To get inside her head you'll need to catch her at a vulnerable moment, most likely in the early morning when she's tired; from there you'll need to get her worked up, get the frustration building before confronting her."_

_"How do I do that?"_

_"Oh I don't know…she hates people calling in the morning, hates it when I leave the toilet seat up, hates having a light on when she sleeps; you're creative, you'll think of something." _

_"Then what comes after that?"_

_"From there you get her alone somewhere familiar so she thinks everything is fine like usual; I suggest someplace with no sharp objects."_

_"That's obvious."_

_"Good. After getting her alone you immediately attack in on her weak spots."_

_"Weak spots?"_

_"Them sensitive places! If there's anything more than Caroline hates being called it's a drama queen; that should be your main ammo. If you can get under her skin with that, then you'll be golden the rest of the way."_

_"Doesn't that seem cheap though? Manipulating her so I can beat her down?"_

_"Yeah, I guess, but not everything in life is simple Seth. Some people are just too guarded about themselves and Caroline's one of them; she'll definitely put up a fight, but you'll have the advantage."_

_"I will?"_

_"By god yes! You're her boyfriend, correct?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Then she'll listen more to you than she does to me!" _

_"So that's my advantage?" _

_"Yes, soldier, it is."_

_"…I don't think I'll be able to do this…"_

_"Well I don't completely agree with it, but if it's the only way to get my daughter out of here and to safety them I'm all for it."_

_"Why can't I just ask her to leave, tell to go because I said so?"_

_"HA! Good luck trying, but she'll past that bullshit in an instant!"_

_"Seriously?"_

_"Seriously. The way to get this to work Clearwater is to get inside that head of hers; once you do that she's as good as gone." _

_"But what about after everything's over? How do I fix it?"_

_"I guess you'll cross that bridge when you get there, son." _

_"…great…"_

_"You'll be fine; Caroline's very forgiving, it's her mother in her. Just explain everything and you two will be fine; I promise."_

_"You do?"_

_"Yes, I do. I've never seen Caroline happier…or moodier…"_

_"Yeah, well, sorry about that. I thought this was going to be simple, but I ran out of time to tell her everything so I guess this is mostly my fault."_

_"Damn right it is! I never thought I'd see the day when a young man came begging for permission to break my daughter's heart!"_

_"I, well, it's…I was afraid you'd shoot me if I didn't."_

_"Good point."_

_"…"_

_"I'm just kiddin' ya, boy! I know you'll make this right because I can tell how much you love my daughter; I know you two will be just fine." _

_"Thank you sir."_

_"Anytime, Mr. Clearwater, anytime." _

* * *

Oh.

Yeah.

Maybe that's why Emily's words were so oddly familiar; I had practically gone begging to Colonel Carver Mavnik to break his daughter's heart so he wouldn't shoot me.

God I felt sick.

"Seth, honey, are you alright? Do you need more water?" My thoughts must have showed on my face because Emily's hand tightened around mine.

"No…I'm good. Thanks Emily."

"Anytime, sweetie." She murmured, leaning over and placing a light kiss on the side of my head before leaving me with my thoughts as my only company; a fact that scared me shitless.

I just broke my girlfriend's—no, Imprint's—heart. I ripped it out and threw it down into the sand where I stomped and stomped on it until there was nothing left. I verbally abused her in more ways than one and insulted every fiber of her being. I made her second guess everything we've ever done together and then also herself. I had told her to go see a doctor and to get help with her problems.

I made her cry.

That fact alone was the worst.

I knew it was going to happen, I knew that it was going to be the end result of our meeting on the beach, but actually seeing Caroline fight back her tears only to have them fall later on was killing me. It felt like I had ripped out my heart along with hers, the only difference being mine wasn't laying back there on the beach; it was on Satan's skewer roasting over a large, burning fire in the inner most depths of hell.

God this was horrible.

Squeezing my eyes shut as hard as I could I tried to block out the resurfacing mental images from twenty minutes ago, not wanting to look at any of them ever again. I was only half way succeeding when the sudden snapping of the screen door a few feet away blew my concentration to hell, most likely joining that heart of mine on that skewer.

"Dude…" Embry stated quietly, slumping down as quietly as he could beside me, a mellow demeanor about him. We didn't say anything for what felt like an eternity, but rather just sat there in the quiet comfort that only guys can. We didn't need any kind words or loving gestures; we just needed that testosterone fueled understanding that shit does indeed happen.

"Here," Embry did eventually say, "Emily sent me out with a muffin." He gave the small pastry a toss into my lap where it landed with a small thump and seemingly stared back at me.

"I don't want it." I said quietly, my voice finally back to normal although very rough and sore.

"…can I have it?" I gave a small huff that could have been a small laugh if I tried hard enough and shook my head.

"Sweet!" Embry exclaimed while reaching over onto my lap and plucking it back into his fingers, his whole face lit up with excitement.

"Emily cut you off again, didn't she?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well I wouldn't say she cut me off exactly, but more like said I couldn't have anymore…" He explained vaguely from behind his mouthful of food, causing me to smile slightly and turn to watch him as he finished chewing.

"Dude…Seth…" he started, apparently not too sure of his words, "you have balls, man."

"Uh…thanks?"

"Not to be all gay or anything, but you seriously have some balls."

"Uh-huh…"

"I mean what you did…I don't think any of us could have managed that; I know for a fact Jared would have shit himself trying." I did smile at this and shook my head in understanding; Jared was such a sucker when it came to Kim.

"After this whole vampire war thingy dies down I think you'll be able to fix everything. I have faith in you, young Jedi." Embry laughed, immediately grabbing me around my neck and pulling me into the standard noogie position, his opposite hand lightly knuckling my head instead of his usual skull cracking tactics. He released me moments later and pushed me back over into my pervious slumped position, our male bonding done for the day. Silence filled the porch once more while he finished his muffin and I stared out at the yard, still reflecting heavily on everything that had happened although not as seriously as before.

"Hey," I said, nudging Embry's arm as a realization hit me, "when you called Cee this morning what did you do? She was pretty pissed when I talked to her." Embry laughed at this, muffin chunks spraying out on both of us.

"God she flipped her shit when she found it was me calling her!" He exclaimed with a laugh, wiping some crumbs off his shirt.

"So what'd you do?"

"I sang that Outkast song…the one about Caroline and the roses that smell like poo?" At this I laughed lightly, recognizing the song instantly.

"Oh my god, Embry." I said shaking my head, knowing full well it didn't go so good. "Do you know what Collin did?"

"Oh yeah!" He laughed, "It was pretty god! He made up this elaborate lie about a school dance and said he bragged to his friends he was bringing this older woman."

"Oh no…"

"Yeah…he said Cee totally chewed him out and said she wasn't some thirty year old women and shit. She was pretty pissed, too."

"My god…" I said with a smile, shaking my head, "I guess I should say thank you; without those calls she would've totally kicked my ass."

"Nah, I don't think so; you would've gotten her to go somehow, although it was pretty cool you asked her dad."

"I felt like an idiot going up to him for help."

"Yeah, but still. You've now mastered the art of mind fucking, Seth!"

"The art of what?"

"Mind fucking! You can get inside people's heads and fuck with their thoughts and stuff."

"Embry?"

"Yeah."

"Shut up." He laughed at this and gave me a small punch on the arm before standing up and making his way back inside, most likely to tell Emily that I had eaten the muffin and that I thought it was delicious. Shaking my head at this, I was about to get up and follow him in when I looked up and caught Sam emerging from the tree line, causing me to freeze in place.

I couldn't tell anything from his expression.

I watched him cross the yard as if in slow motion and waited with a held breath as he climbed the front porch steps and stood looking down at me. For a few moments we stared off, my breath still caught in my throat, practically suffocating me.

"She's home." He said eventually, popping my nervous tension like a needle to a balloon.

"Thank god!" I felt myself say, the blood once again moving freely through my veins.

"I got her home and her dad took over from there. He said from the look of things he believes her to be gone in at least a day or two, ample enough time until them vulture things get here." I nodded my head at this, a small sense of accomplishment washing over me like a warm shower.

"Thanks, Sam." I breathed, making it a point to look directly into his eyes so as he got how sincere I really was.

"It's my job." He stated simply, offering out a hand to help me up from my guttered position which I gladly took.

"I have to say though that you did quite a number," He said reaching for the screen door, "that girl was a mess; she was curled up petting her sweater when I found her." I gave a small laugh at this, following him into the house.

"That's my Caroline." I stated quietly, a small smile on my face.

"_And all the guys would say she's migh-tay FINE!" _Was the chorus of voices I met upon entering the kitchen, each member of the pack laughing their head off at my own extent.

I just merely shook my head; things were definitely going to get better.

I would make sure of it_._

* * *

So thanks for again for reading and all the awesome comments/reviews; that's the stuff I LOVE to see! And since this chapter was added so squickly, expect a few days in bewteen this and the new one; I need time to figure out what to do!

And for anyone curious as to what Caroline's cat sweater looks like, there's a pic on my bio page in the banner section! (I personally think it's cute!)

~Thanks again! Fluff ;)


	22. Chapter 21

_It's a miracle! Three updates in three days; god I'm on a roll! I know I said it'd be a while for the next update, but I figured I go ahead and get this chapter out of the way before plotting my ending, so as not to leave any straggly loose ends left, so therefore: EXPECT A FEW DAYS IN BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT CHAPTER!_

_Thanks for all the totally awesome updates; I don't think I've ever smield so much when checking my e-mail! THANK YOU ALL! ~Fluff_

**When the Wind Blows**

**Chapter 21**

**Home Is Where The Hearts Is...But What If That Heart's Broken?**

**C.P.O.V**

"Hey, Audrey Hepburn, can we lose the shades for a minute?" Dad must have been referring to my _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ style sunglasses, the ones I had refused to lose since exactly a day ago. Flopping the shirt I had been folding down into my suitcase, I sat down on the bed and turned towards the door, reaching up and pulling the cheap shades from my face. Despite the gray filtered light that shone in through my windows, my eyes still watered at the brightness of everything.

"Caroline," Dad said, progressing even further into my newly cleaned room though I already knew what he was going to say, "I've never seen your room so clean before." He was a horrible liar.

"Just say it dad." I sighed, fiddling with a rogue sock, the other one lost within the depths of my half packed suitcase.

"Honey…I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything."

"Yeah, I know, but still. I'm sorry things didn't work out." I watched with a blank face as he moved to the center of my room and looked around, something he hadn't done since we first moved in. He almost seemed surprised that there wasn't any noticeable damage done; no holes in the walls from fits of rage, no scorch marks from unattended candles, no carpet ripped up for random reasons.

Did he really think I was that destructive?

Shrugging this off I continued to fiddle with my sock, inserting my pinky finger into the hole on the heel from where I had worn it so many times; it was almost time to throw it away, to move onto a new pair.

That seemed to be going around a lot lately; moving on.

"What do you want dad?" I finally asked, knowing it was what he wanted to hear so as he could officially start his spiel.

"A father never likes to see his daughter upset; I came up here to see how you're doing." He explained as if those few simple words would magically make everything better.

"Well I'm packing…there's not much else to say." He sighed at this and maneuvered towards the bed and sat himself down on the other side of the suitcase, hesitantly pushing a shirt back in from its falling out position.

"I figured as much." He sighed once more, leaning forwards with his hands on his knees as if he was going to be sick.

"When's your flight leave?"

"Around midnight."

"Wow…so soon?"

"It was the first flight they had going out."

"Oh," He said quietly, staring at the carpet as if were going to move, "so you have everything lined up? You got everything you need?"

"Yeah…Poot's meeting me at the airport; I'll be staying with him for a while." Peripherally I saw dad look up at this, a wide frown on his face.

"What constitutes 'a while'?" He asked with genuine curiosity in his voice which only caused me to shrug and maintain eye contact with my sock.

"I dunno…you can never spend too much time at home." I stated softly, my whole body still slightly numb from the recent going-ons.

"You are home, honey, you're just going away for a vacation almost." At this I turned at finally looked at him full on, obviously taking him by surprise at my sudden action.

"This isn't my home, dad, if you were around enough you'd know that." I said, my voice raspy from its limited use. "Home is still back in Hawaii."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you; it just seemed like you really fitting in around here."

"Yeah, well, whatever…I can't believe I ever thought this hell hole could be home." We stared off for a few seconds before dad looked away first, a frown still on his face. From there we sat in an awkward silence, the beating of the rain on the side of the house the only noise filling our silent gap.

"Well…I'll leave you to it then." Dad did say eventually, rising from his seat on the bed and giving me a quick kiss on the side of the head while on his way towards the door.

"How about some dinner? I can make fish tacos?" He offered, obviously trying to bait me with my favorite food.

"I can't; I'll need to leave soon so I can make it up to Seattle."

"Oh." The disappointment couldn't have been more evident in his voice.

"Sorry." I offered, feeling as though I should say something so as not to leave him hanging.

"It's fine; maybe when you get back." And with that he left, his footsteps echoing down the hardwood stairs and disappearing into the living room where I heard the TV turn on, ESPN music playing in the background.

I had to at least give him snaps for trying although it was pretty much useless. I had decided to leave the very evening Sam brought me back home from the beach, the whole scenario on permanent replay in my head, something that took a while to block out, but still hung around in the back of my thoughts. The whole thing was probably going to be another scar that would never fade I mused while running a finger over my forearm, the only reminder left from the porcelain plate accident.

Maybe if I was lucky I wouldn't need stitches this time.

* * *

**S.P.O.V**

I was definitely turning into a creeper.

It was bad enough that I spied on her before and went through her room, but now it was just a whole new level, an addiction almost.

And note that I said 'almost'.

And I mean it wasn't that hard; Cee actually had all her blinds open and pulled up for once, something that was practically a miracle. She hated leaving her blinds open, said it fucked with her sleep even though that was only in the morning and afternoons.

She had no reason to have them open now, not at six o'clock in the evening; something must have been up. All the lights were on, all the blinds up, and the windows opened; the rustling curtains the obvious give away. Occasionally she would pass by one of the windows, an object in hand and a pair of sunglasses atop her head, and disappear back out of sight, giving me reason to believe that she was packing up stuff to leave, a fact that both relieved and depressed me.

Deciding to take affirmative action I quickly crossed the yard, avoiding any patches of light that could potentially give me away if she happened to look out a window. Sneaking up close against the house and hugging the walls, I managed to maneuver around to a living room window to peek inside to see if the Colonel was anywhere in sight.

He pretty much saw me in an instant, my moves not as stealthy as I would have liked.

I watched as he stood from the couch and listened closely, most likely trying to hear if Cee was still upstairs moving around. Seconds later he was at the window, pushing the curtains further aside and giving me a clear 'what the hell' gesture, his lips moving with muffled words. I tried in vain to decipher what he was saying, but had to eventually point to my ear and motion that I couldn't hear him. He rolled his eyes at this and jerked his head towards the back door before moving the curtains back to block the window.

Scrambling, I ran for the backdoor and was practically blinded as the back light flicked on while the door creaked open slightly. Half tripping on the steps while trying to rub the white spots from my eyes, I ran straight into the Colonel, knocking us both into the door frame where he gave a small yelp as his elbow cracked against the sharp edge and I stepped on his foot.

"Jesus, Clearwater, no wonder you didn't sign up for the army!" He exclaimed, pushing me off of him and into the kitchen, shutting the door as quietly as possible behind us. Turning to me he just shook his head and crossed over to the fridge, motioning for me to stay quiet as he fished out a beer and listened once more for Caroline's movements above.

A large thump followed by a loud curse told us she was still up there doing whatever it was she was doing.

Carver shook his head once more and seated himself across from me at the table, snapping the beer can open and taking a long drag.

"So how's she doing?" I asked, leaning forward so I wouldn't have to talk as loud.

"Doin' fine I guess; said her flight leaves at midnight." He said with a shrug.

"Wow…" I stated, not really sure as to what else to say, something the Colonel clearly picked up on.

"I know it hurts, boy, but at least she's leaving. She'll be in good hands and happy." He said with a nod, almost as if trying to convince himself.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way."

"I'm sorry she's so goddamned hard headed; if she wasn't we'd be in a very different situation right now." I nodded in agreement although my subconscious was making a good point by saying Caroline wouldn't be Caroline if she wasn't hard headed.

"She wouldn't be her then." I practically whispered, the words falling from my lips before I realized it.

"Amen to that. There're just some things you can't change in a person without changing them completely." I smiled sadly at this before getting up slowly so as not to scrape the chair along the floor.

"I'll see you later…I just wanted to see how she was doing and all."

"Well she's doing fine…there's just one more thing I got to tell you." Why did I feel like this wasn't going to end well?

"I found this in her bathroom…" He said putting down his beer can so he could dig down into the pocket of his jeans only to reveal a crumbled up piece of paper. "Phase two of the plan might not work." He grunted, tossing the paper over to me where I easily caught it and immediately started to unfold it.

My stomach practically fell to my feet as the paper fell to miniature pieces in my hands upon opening it.

The plane ticket was totally ruined.

"It's non-refundable…I'm just assuming she has the other one." At this I sighed and sat back down at the kitchen table, the bits of paper sprinkling the table.

"What am I supposed to do now? I was supposed to use this to go and get her back." I groaned while dropping my face into my hands, my mind once again reeling as to what to do now.

"I don't know," I heard from across the table, "but plane tickets aren't cheap; a one way flight is at least three hundred bucks."

"Back to the drawing board…" I sighed after regaining my composure, looking at the Colonel to find a somewhat sympathetic look on his face.

"Best of luck." He said simply, downing the rest of his beer and crunching the can with one hand and aiming for the trashcan. I watched as it sailed through the air and landed squarely in the hole, it's 'thump' muffled by the surrounding trash. I gave him a smile that felt like a grimace and rose once more from the table and crossed over to the kitchen door, stopping with my hand on the knob.

"Collin and Embry wanted to know if they could come say goodbye…I wasn't too sure what to tell them."

"I don't think that's a wise decision." The colonel said with a shake of his head, his weariness showing through into his features.

"At least we're on the same page." I said with a shrug and a nod to signal my goodbye while stepping out onto the porch and closing the door as quietly as I could behind me.

Yup…at least we were on the same page.

* * *

**C.P.O.V**

It's funny how packing to go back home was as easy as breathing.

When I first learned we were moving to Washington I remember hitting up every thrift store and Goodwill I could find for jeans, sweatshirts, and other cold weather gear. It was just so depressing filling up my suitcases with clothes I didn't even want to own, let alone wear. Because of this my shorts and tank tops pretty much took a back seat in my life as did my beloved bathing suits and flip flops.

Pulling them out of retirement was almost enough to make me smile if it wasn't for the fact that I was still halfway dead inside, a fact I tried desperately to push from my mind. Looking around my room I tried to spot any last items I had missed, but found none. I had been thorough in my cleaning and had put everything in its proper place; the thought of eventually returning home to a messy room rather depressing.

Zipping the suitcase shut I managed to pull it from the bed and slowly drag it downstairs and into the foyer where I sat it next to its partner. From there I looked into the living room to find dad still watching TV, a few beer cans littering the coffee table.

"You're not at Billy's?" I commented as I crossed the room to sit down on the arm of the sofa.

"Nah…thought I'd keep you company till you left."

"Oh...thanks, but the cab should be here any minute." At this he tore his gaze from the TV and fixed me with a parental stare.

"I could've drove you up to Seattle, ya know; all you had to do was ask." Was it just me or did he seem slightly hurt that I hadn't come to him for help?

"Well it's already a four hour drive…I didn't want you coming all the way back so late at night." I explained, hoping my light tone would somehow get through to him and make him see the reasoning behind me calling for a cab.

"I guess…" He said with a shrug, "do you have enough money to get there?" He asked, reaching for his wallet before I could stop him.

"It's fine dad, I have enough. Don't worry about it." I said sliding down onto the cushions and pushing away his offering hand, a fifty dollar bill staring up at me.

"Just take it Caroline so I know you have money." He said, waving it around in front of me. "Please."

"Fine," I mumbled, pulling it from his grasp, "I'm not helpless you know."

"Don't I know it…you practically took care of yourself as a kid. I had to baby your brother more than I did you." I smiled briefly at this and smoothed the bill flat in my fingers, wanting to say so much more then what I was capable of.

"Thanks dad…" I finally managed, figuring the sentiment would be enough to hold off any further conversation.

"Just make sure you call when you get there...I don't want to have to call in a favor to the Navy to go out and search for your body." I rolled my eyes at this and was about to shoot out a witty comeback when a sudden beeping of a car horn caught both our attentions.

"That's for me." I said hopping up from the couch and making my way back out into the foyer, flicking on the porch light on my way to the front door, dad following wordlessly behind me. Opening the front door I saw the cab parked in our driveway, the driver smartly staying inside against the pouring rain.

"Here," Dad pushed me aside as I tried to grab both suitcases, "I'll help you, just get an umbrella." I did as he told and grabbed an umbrella from the closet and opened it on the porch, following him down the stairs and to the cab where the trunk popped open. I watched as he forced both into the small space and snapped the hood shut, water droplets flying off in every direction at the sudden movement. Circling back around to the side door, I opened it and threw in my backpack and turned one last time to dad, a grim smile on his face.

"Well…" He started, "have a safe flight…call when you get there…" I gave him a small smile and pulled him into a hug, my gesture taking him quick although his arms eventually hugged me back.

"I love you." He murmured into my hair before pulling away and taking the umbrella from my hand as I lowered myself into the car.

"Love you too." I said back, smiling sadly as he pushed the door shut behind me and stepped back from the car.

From there the cabbie backed out of the driveway and waved to my dad, something that surprised us both; I guess he was trying to show he wasn't some psycho murderer who was going to pull over and kill me. I shook my head as dad weakly waved back and did the whole 'I'm watching you' thing with his fingers, effectively causing the cabbie to smile uneasily as he put the car in neutral and pulled away from our house. I kept my eyes on my dad as long as I could until we were far enough away that the approaching darkness of the night ate him up. Frowning, I pulled my backpack closer to me and practically jumped when the cabbie spoke.

"Heading for Seattle, right? The airport?" He asked, looking at me in the rearview mirror. I nodded back quietly in confirmation and slumped in my seat, my gaze turned towards the rapidly passing wall of green outside. Up front the cabbie turned the radio up loud enough to drown out the beating rain, but even that couldn't hide the bone chilling howl that erupted from somewhere around us.

Some things were just better left forgotten; you must merely had to get rid of them first.

* * *

_So thanks once again, and if you didn;t see the opening note, here it is again: EXPECT A FEW DAYS UNTIL THE NEW CHAPTER._

_Just thought I'd reinforce that...so yeah! Catch ya'll later! ~Fluff _

_P.S. you know that to do with that button below ;)_


	23. Chapter 22

~Sorry for the LONG couple of days there, but I honestly have no excuses except this: College life sucks. That's all I'm going to say. You've all been warned!

~Thanks for all the awesome reviews and comments that have been flowing in regualarly, they mean a lot, so please keep them coming. :3

****As far as updates I'm just going to say this: it's pretty much fair game; I can't give an actual date or time so just check back regularly, please, that's all I ask. Just work with me here!****

* * *

**A SIDE NOTE:**

***Warning***

This chapter contains spoilers for Breaking Dawn. The thoughts and feelings expressed about said book are solely those of the author.

* * *

**When the Wind Blows**

**Chapter 22**

**In Which We Discuss The Finer Things Of Life…Like Bitches For Example**

**C.P.O.V**

Blue Skies.

Puffy white clouds.

Warm breezes.

_Sunshine._

God it felt good to be home!

Sure, I was still in the airport at the baggage claim, but that didn't meant that the large plate glass windows couldn't allow me a view of the perfect weather outside, did it?

Nope.

I watched and waited for my two items of luggage to come around on the revolving belt before spotting them between an ugly yellow daisy printed thing and a small gray one. Hefting them from their spots I pulled out the retractable handles and grasped one in each hand.

They were ready and reeling to go.

Pushing and shoving my way through the mass of people around me I managed to orient myself in the direction of the main door only to be roughly body checked from the side.

"What the hell!" I managed to yell as my attacker wrapped their arms around my waist and hoisted me in the air.

Hadn't anyone ever heard of stranger danger?

Looking down I found any form of profanity die immediately on my tongue and a large smile engulf my face.

"MY BITCH IS FINALLY BACK! YESSSSSSS!" Poot practically screamed as he continued to bounce and twirl us around in the lobby of the airport.

I laughed and hugged him back as random by passers stared and pointed, but I didn't care.

This was my reunion, dammit!

It wasn't until the tubby security guy came waddling our way that we each grabbed a suitcase handle and bolted for the exit, small tears forming in the corner of my eyes at the reality of it all and from laughing so hard.

I was home.

* * *

**S.P.O.V**

Was the anger that Leah always wielded hereditary?

If so I think it skipped me.

Why couldn't I yell and scream and beat up inanimate objects like she could?

Why couldn't I stay mad and point accusing fingers?

I had every right to be angry.

Everyone else got to keep their imprints all safe and sound and close to home, but me, I had to return mine.

I had to give her up.

I had to hurt her.

Talk about teen angst.

Shaking my head at my own self pity I gripped the spoon in my hand with a little too much force and frowned as the metal conformed to my grip.

"Sorry Emily…" I said offering the utensil out to her, "again." She just smiled gently and placed a new one on my place mat.

"Don't worry about it, honey. I know you're having a hard time." I didn't bother trying to make eye contact with her.

I'd probably just tear up anyways.

God.

When did I become a walking faucet?

The sound of the front screen door slamming shut made me look up in time to see Embry and Paul strutting into the kitchen, most likely just coming off of patrol.

"Hey man." Embry greeted with a slap on my back as he sat down next to me. "Oh, pudding!" His eyes grew wide at the sight of the bowl before me and I willingly pushed it over to him along with the spoon.

Not that he'd actually use it.

"Really?" He asked despite the fact he was swallowing a mouthful.

I felt a corner of my mouth twitch upwards.

"God, Emily, what do you put in here? It's like Willy Wonka is having an orgasm in my mouth!" Paul laughed at this and I actually smiled while quickly glancing up to catch Emily's disapproving look.

"Not at the table, Embry." She said shaking her head and turning back to the stove while Paul continued to chuckle.

"God it's good…" Embry was practically raping the bowel with his tongue at this point.

It was definitely a sight.

"So Seth," Embry eventually said after liking his lips clear of the dessert, "we were going to head over to the Cullen's; watch all the new leeches pour in. You game?" I felt myself shrug and fiddled with the place mat Emily usually put down for Clare.

"I dunno."

"Why not? Edward and Bel—"

"Bitch." I felt my eyes widen as the word flew effortlessly from my mouth.

Looking up I found Emily and Embry's shocked gazes while Paul just smirked.

"Language, Seth, please!" Emily stated after the initial shock had worn off.

"Sorry…I've just been…it just popped out."

"Well at least you're seeing reason." Paul mumbled across from me; he's always hated the Cullens so why stop now?

"You've just been what?" Embry asked, leaning in closer with a serious look on his face.

"Thinking."

"About…?" I sighed before trying to explain.

"Well…it's just that I now somewhat…find Bella to be a slightly selfish bitch who was too worried about growing old and dying…and it's just not right!" I finished lamely, too embarrassed to look up and meet anyone's eyes.

"That's not very nice Seth." Emily lectured from her spot by the sink.

"I know!" I defended myself. "But think about how much simpler life would be if Bella would just grow up and live life like the universe intended for her to do!" Was it just me or was I getting angry?

"I hear you." Paul agreed.

"The bitch obviously isn't that smart if she wants to immortal and bang a vampire who could kill in her bed or at any other freak moment!" Dude, I was angry!

Yes!

Finally!

"Seth, I understand you're upset, but taki—"

"I know, Emily, and I'm sorry, but just let me get this off my chest!"

"By all means." She said, throwing her hands up in the air in defeat.

"After they got married why didn't Edward just change her then?"

"I dunno man." Embry tried to sympathize despite the fact I was on a roll and paved right over him.

"He's so whipped he gave her anything and everything she wanted and look where that's gotten us! He should have banged her _after_ sucking out her mortality!"

"We know, man."

"And now she's popped out a kid and Jake's imprinted on it?"

"Wait, what?" I looked over to find Emily with an incredulous look on her face, her hand paused in mid air over the dish drainer with a plate in hand.

"Didn't pin you as the gossiping type." Paul stated smugly from the table as Emily blushed.

"Sam hasn't told you?" Embry asked in fascination while Emily just shook her head.

"Well it just happened this morning, so you're not missing much." I huffed, still fired up from my ranting.

I still had some to get out.

"Is that why you came here all moody? Jake imprinted on Bella and Edward's kid?"

"Yep. That's about right." And really it was.

"Well that's…interesting."

"I know, right?" Embry laughed; he was probably enjoying Jake's misery he most.

"It's disgusting." I said with a shrug.

"Damn right it is!" Paul agreed with a shake of his head. "Kid's a leech!"

Oh…that's what he meant.

"I wasn't talking about that." I stated only to be met with the confusion of three other faces.

"C'mon guys, think about it some." They each obviously did, but their silence told me we all weren't on the same wave length.

"Jake was practically forcing himself to imprint on Bella, but never did. He loved her, guys, like _really _loved her. She gets knocked up by Edward and pops out this monster baby who grows about three ages in what, a day?" Paul and Embry nod seriously at this while Emily's eyes just grow big.

"Really?" She asks and I nod.

"So does anyone see anything wrong this?" I ask incredulously only to receive silence once more.

How were they not getting it?

"Jake imprinted on Bella's kid, meaning if they get married Bella will be Jake's mother-in-law who he once fantasized about banging!"

"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The three of them chimed out in unison, realization on their shocked faces.

"Dude…that is disgusting." Paul said with a cringe while Emily just shook her head with a deep frown. I nodded in agreement and leaned back with my hands behind my head; it felt good to just rant about something.

"Well…" Embry stated after a few moments of silence as he got up and helped himself to more pudding from the fridge, "at least he's keepin' it in the family."

Paul and I exchanged looks while Emily dropped a dish.

At least I was feeling better.

* * *

**C.P.O.V**

"Fuck California Girls, I got my bitch right here!" Poot yelped as he turned down Katy Perry's most recent hit and slapped my thigh in excitement. I laughed and rolled my head back onto the headrest, savoring how the wind just flew over me in the open Jeep and tangled my hair into knots.

"So what's the game plan, cap'n?" Poot asked looking over at me and my dazed expression.

"I dunno," I admitted, "we can do whatever you want!"

"Well in that case…" He sang, his hand reaching over for my boob only to be smacked away.

"Boob fondling is not classified as 'whatever'!" I stated only to have him laugh.

"Alrighty then, Miss Thang! I guess we'll drop your junk off and you can wash away the flight grime with a shower and we'll hit the town. How's that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan." I said, rolling my head back up to gaze into the never ending expanse of cerulean sky.

"It's good to have you back, Pufferfish." Poot said gently as he reached over and gave my hand a hearty squeeze of affection. That, doubled with the use of his nickname for me, only made my smile grow wider.

"Is it possible to be so happy you could die?" I asked, looking over to catch his pondering expression.

"If you're Lady Gaga I think you can." I laughed uncontrollably at this as Poot scrolled through his iPod that was hooked up to the car and found the appropriate song that he had referenced.

The sad part was that I really was so happy I could die.

And trust me; I hadn't been happy in a while.

* * *

**S.P.O.V**

"Seth?"

"Yes?"

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh?"

"I'll take that as a 'no'." I sighed as I pulled myself up from the recesses of Sam and Emily's sofa.

"Sorry." I apologized; I really had no right to just ignore Sam's lecture.

"It's alright." He said waving me off as he took a seat in an arm chair opposite of the sofa and fixed me with a look.

A look I knew too well.

A parental look.

Uh oh.

"Seth…I couldn't help but notice that you've been…hangin' around here a lot lately." I averted my gaze at this and opted for rubbing the back of my head, the bookcase across the room suddenly becoming very interesting.

"I'm not complaining or anything, but don't you think you should go home? See your mom? Get out a little?"

"I guess." I admitted, still tracing the outline of the inanimate object with my eyes.

"I know it's hard, Seth, but it's going to be alright. You just…need to…move on, I guess. Let it go and let things play out."

"Yeah, maybe." Sam sighed at this and leaned back further into his chair, whether it was in frustration or defeat I didn't know.

"Emily told me about your…thoughts…on the Bella-Edward thing." He mumbled out after a measurable length of silence in which I was still averting his gaze.

"Sorry." I eventually sighed as I finally turned back to him.

He didn't look mad.

"I can't blame you; you needed to get it off your chest."

"Thanks."

"Anytime." Was it just me or were we having a small bonding moment?

"Doesn't mean you can't shirk your patrols, though."

And just like that the moment was over.

Dammit.

* * *

**THANK YOU, THANK YOU, and THANK YOU for your time, patience, reviews, and comments! They are all greatly appreciated and admired! All my readers are definitely the best!**

(((And yes, I really did HATE Breaking Dawn and I realize I might lose some of you with that fact, but eh. It's alright. Not everyone can like the same things...and while we're here, I might as well add that I dislike the movies too. Sue me. Hate mail me. I really don't care!)))

Thanks again, and hopefully most of you will still be around for the next chapter! ~Fluff ;)


	24. Chapter 23

_So here's what I'm officially dubbing as 'filler chapters' to keep the momemtum going until we reach the big finale. I know they're not much, but at least they're better than nothing right? And unlike some fillers, these things do serve a purpose in the plotline, so keep that in mind while reading. _

_I promise bigger and better things are on the way, they're just taking a bit to get to get created! So sorry for that and thanks for all the awesome reviews, comments, and understading. Who knew there were so many of you who also hated Breaking Dawn! I don't feel so loser-ish and alone now! :D_

_Anyways, enjoy this small snippet and stay tuned for more!_

**When the Wind Blows**

**Chapter 23**

**Dr. Feel Good Makes Me Feel Super Bad**

**C.P.O.V**

"Do you have poison ivy or something?"

"Huh?" I looked up to find Poot frowning at me from across the bar, the afternoon mail in his hands. "What do you mean?" And really; what was he talking about?

"Your chest," he said pointing to his own, "it looks like you have a rash. Does it itch?"

Looking down I finally saw what he meant; the deep V of my tank top practically showcased the inflamed skin stretching across my sternum and collarbones. I reached up and rubbed it slightly before looking back up at him.

"I'm perfectly fine; I don't know why it's like that." I explained as I unconsciously rubbed my hand across the rough plane of skin.

"Are you sure? You've been scratching it a lot lately, I noticed the other night at dinner." Well that surprised me; I was pretty sure Poot was too busy getting tipsy on wine to notice much else.

"It kinda hurts, but not really." At this Poot circled the bar until he was directly in front of me and slouched down slightly so as to stare a hole through my chest.

"What do you mean it 'kinda hurts'?" I rolled my eyes and turned back to the sandwich I was making.

I forgot how Poot freaked out over the smallest of things when it came to the human body.

"Does the skin itself hurt or is it something else?" He continued to question as he tried to lean over my shoulder for more observation.

"It's fine Poot, it's probably just sunburn or something."

"That doesn't look like sunburn, Cee." I internally cringed at the use of my nickname and prayed to god he didn't notice.

"Thank you Dr. Pootmeister!" I sighed; why couldn't he just let it be?

"Fine, be all moody. When you wake up dead one morning don't come crying to me!" He trilled with a flick of his hand only a gay man could pull off.

I laughed.

"If I was dead I wouldn't wake up, let alone cry."

"Yeah, well, whatever hot stuff." Poot rolled his eyes and left me to my sandwich making as he crossed back over to the mail and continued flipping through it, occasionally mumbling incoherent ramblings as he found stuff he either liked or disliked.

I waited until he became fully engulfed to let my smile fall and my back hunch.

Truth be told my chest hurt a whole hell of a lot more than I was letting on; and it wasn't just the skin.

It was deeper, like my insides were hurting.

It all really started about three days ago after my first official week of being home had passed. I just woke up one morning and something inside me was hurting, like whatever was in there was being pulled in some completely random direction towards my spinal cord. I had foolishly rubbed at it, thinking it to be a pulled muscle or something cramped up, but the more I rubbed and the more time progressed, it just got worse.

It was really weird.

I've been around enough old people to know about heart attacks and strokes, but after watching enough _Gray's Anatomy_ re-runs and Googling symptoms, I found that I was perfectly fine save for the small fact that it felt like I was being pulled inside out by a string.

God it was weird.

"I'm telling Kev when he gets home; we're getting that looked at." Poot's voice practically made me jump, mayonnaise flying off the knife and across the bar top.

"What?" I managed to ask as I looked up to find Poot looking evenly back at me, his hand pointing down to his own chest. Looking down I realized I was still rubbing my own, trying desperately to relive the tugging feeling from behind my sternum.

Guess Dr. Gay was going to have a looksie.

* * *

"So, Caroline, how have you been feeling lately? Any problems you want to tell me about?" I rolled by eyes and fell back further into the sofa; Kev took his doctor job down at the free clinic a little too seriously.

"I'm fine Kev! And you can cut the doctor act; you're at home, ya'know." Kev smiled and nodded his head in understanding as he sat down in front of me on the coffee table.

"I know, I'm just still stuck in the frenzy of the action."

"No kidding." He shook his head at this and reached up to tug off the hair net that he was required to wear.

Kev (full name being Kevin Ray) was not an outright gay man. He was like Nate from Oprah almost; you didn't really suspect any homosexuality until walking through the front door of his non-manly living space or decked out closet. He preferred to keep to the quieter side of gay life, which was actually kind of perfect; his docile gayness balanced out the crazy factor that came with living with Poot.

And for that alone he should be given a Purple Heart; Poot could make life hell when he wanted to.

"I know Poot is all freaked out and stuff, so why don't you just tell him it's some random kind of rash and give me fake medicine or something?" I reasoned, figuring it would be the best way to get the man to calm down.

"I could do that, but I would like to at least see what's going on first; you really could have something terrible going on." Kev smiled with a shrug as if he could have really cared less about me.

"Fine," I sighed, pulling off the T-shirt that was covering up my bikini top so as the good doctor could get a good look, "I think you're just wasting your time though."

Kev rolled his eyes and leaned forwards slightly, taking in the inflamed skin and angry red color that had only gotten worse from my constant rubbing and scratching since the morning. A few moments later he lifted a finger and lightly poked along my sternum, starting from the bottom and working his way up.

If it had been any other man I would have bitch slapped him.

"Does it hurt when I touch it?" He asked, his eyes still taking in my unusual condition.

"Only from where I've been scratching it." I admitted, trying to suppress my laughter as his fingers tickled along my collarbone.

"Well I don't feel any bumps, so it's most likely not any kind of poison or rash. Sunburn is still a possibility, but from what I can see from the rest of you there's none anywhere else." He retracted his hand only to rest his head on it, his gaze still raking across my chest.

"Just as long as I'm not going to die."

"No, you're fine; it's just really weird. Are you sure you're not having any other problems?" He asked looking up at me, concern evident on his face.

"Sorry, but no. I am a-okay!" I smiled as I made to move to get up, only to be stopped halfway by a wave of his hand. I sat back down slowly, wondering why the hell I couldn't get up and go back outside.

"I'm going to ask this now while Poot's out." Uh oh; I think I'm in trouble.

"…alright…?"

"What's really going on Caroline? You haven't been quite the same since you got here." Oh god, here we go; the good ol' twenty questions game.

"I'm fine Kev, I just had to come visit for a bit. Get away and stuff." He fixed me with a look.

"You're not getting away Caroline, you're running; I know you enough to see that." Was this seriously happening?

"God, do you have ESP now or something? You're like this doctor I knew back in Washington!" I said, throwing my hands up in the air and falling back further into the couch, trying in vain to hide from his questioning look.

"You said 'knew'; I take it you're not going back?"

Shit…I did use the past tense.

He caught me.

"Well…not immediately." I confessed, knowing full well he'd get the truth out of me one way or another. He must have knew this too because he fixed me with a long, even gaze that made me slightly self conscious.

"Poot told me," He said gently, "about the whole Se—"

"Don't even say it!" I commanded as my hand flew up to stop him as the first syllables of the name escaped his lips.

"That's in the past and I'm not planning on looking back." He nodded slightly at this, but continued on anyways.

"I won't say the name as long as you let me finish." He bargained, a hopeful look in his eyes. I stared him down for a few seconds until finally giving in, figuring that getting this whole conversation out of the way would be better in the end.

"Fine." I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest and starting moodily at his name tag still on his scrubs.

"I know you've been through a lot, but love does crazy things." I felt my heart stop in my chest and the blood pause in my veins.

"Who says there was any love involved?" I asked quietly, forcing myself not to look up and meet Kev's baby blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I just assumed. You seemed really happy and you did…ya'know…sleep together…" I frowned as the memory erupted into the forefront of my thoughts and repeated on permanent replay.

"Sleeping together doesn't necessarily mean that; haven't you ever heard of casual sex?" And there it was; the first beginnings of anger and bitterness seeping into my voice.

Why did this perfectly good day have to turn to shit?

"I'm not trying to make you angry here Cee—"

"Don't call me that."

"Alright, as you wish, but just hear me out. From everything Poot's told me and from what's happening here I think you might have a little PTSD with a broken heart thrown in for good measure." At this I looked up, my face incredulous at his words.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Really Kev?" I asked, my mouth still hanging open in disbelief.

"Love can do that." He said with a shake of his head and shrug as if trying to say 'it is what it is'.

"Love didn't have to do with anything, dammit!" I finally snapped as I forced myself to the edge of my seat. "A monster can never hurt you if it never existed; just like love. He never said it, I never said it, the word was never even acknowledged. End of story, nighty night, I'm going back to the beach." And with that I stood pushed past him, the tank top in my hand whipping him across the face with my momentum.

I didn't bother to wait for any kind of reaction in my haste to get outside. The only thing I was worried about was trying to hide the fact that my chest was hurting like a bitch and that my frantic rubbing and scratching did absolutely nothing to help it.

Why did it always do that whenever I thought of my life back in La Push?

* * *

Alrighty, so one filler down, not sure how many to go; just please remember that these things will fulfill a purpose later on. Trust me! ;)

Aaaaaannndddddd we have something new this week! An advertisement for a fanfic! Yay!

* * *

**Are you or a friend a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist? Are you looking for a new and original fanfic about the Elric brothers? Look no further! **

**_The True Hands of Fate _by xcynicalx offers a new and exciting adventure never read before! Access the story through my Favorite Stories list on my bio page and see what you've been missing out on! **


	25. Chapter 24

_Woo Hoo! Random update of another filler that deepens the plot! Oh ho ho! Hope this isn't too out there; I fear my plot may be getting too OC, but what the hell right? What I've got now I consider an epic! _

_And that wouldn't be possible without you; so THANK YOU! You're reviews and comments have definitely pushed me and made me the happiest person ever. Here's to going the extra mile together: the ending! Coming soon! ;)_

_If you're just dying to know if there's going to be anymore fabulous works from me in the future, check out my profile page for a special poll you can vote in! _

**When the Wind Blows**

**Chapter 24**

**Wah, Wah, Wahhhhhhh! (Who Ever Made That Noise Should Be Shot!)**

**S.P.O.V**

"Seth?"

"Huh?"

"Honey?"

"Huh?"

"Seth!"

"Huh?" God woman; can't you just let me sleep? Another five hours, please, that's all I ask!

"Carlisle's on the phone; he wants to meet you at the borderline."

"Huuuhhhhh?" I knew mom was most likely fuming with my reactions, but hey, I couldn't really be blamed. Ever since the number of vampires in the Cullen household had jumped from seven to god knows how many, Sam's been tripling patrol hours.

Which, in a nutshell, meant no sleep.

None.

Nada.

Zip.

We were all pretty pissed.

"Tell him I'll be there in a few minutes." I moaned, rolling over to burrow deeper into the covers.

"So you're planning on running?" She continued to ask, still lingering in the doorway.

"No," I yawed, "I'm taking the car." I heard her sigh before conveying my response to Carlisle on the other end. She babbled on for a few more minutes before ending the call and coming in my room.

Next thing I knew the covers were flying through the air.

"I know you're tired honey, but now's not the time to be cutting back. I promise you can sleep for however long you want when this thing blows over." She explained gently, patting my leg for emphasis. Nodding deftly into the pillow she eventually left, flicking on the lights full force on her way out.

The woman could really be mean sometimes.

Relishing in the comfort of the sheets one last time, I forced myself out of bed and stumbled around looking for clothes. Pulling on whatever I stepped on first, I managed to make it out the room only after bumping into the doorframe twice.

What the hell could Carlisle possibly want?

* * *

**C.P.O.V**

"And so do we want the overall theme to be more masculine or more feminine? Kev does tend to favor the more manly things where as I'm more partial to the outright gay stuff as you say…" And he just kept going and going and going and going.

Dear lord when was it going to end?

"Caroline, babe, are you even listening anymore?"

"Huh?" I asked, looking up from the doodle I was sketching on the piece of paper I was supposed to be taking notes on.

"I asked are you even listening anymore?"

"Oh, yeah, totally." I lied, crossing my arms across the paper and leaning forwards, a cheese eater smile wide on my face.

"Mmm-hmmmm." Poot hummed with quirked eyebrows as he sat down at the kitchen table across from me.

"And tell me, hun, what was the last thing you wrote down?"

"It was, uh…" I fumbled to look down at my writing, "it was the color scheme."

"Really now? And what did we decide on?"

"Um, Grapefruit and Gold." Even as I said it I knew it was wrong; I remember him changing it somewhere along the line in our three hour planning period.

"Wrong! It's a Peacock themed wedding, meaning rich and decadent blues and greens and hints of gold!" Moaning I dropped my head down onto the table, the sheer force of impact rattling the salt and pepper shakers.

"Alright, alright, I'll give you a break cause I love you so much. We'll resume planning in exactly twenty minutes, so do whatever it is you need to do to be up and functioning! Toodles!" And with that Poot gave me a wiggle of his fingers before disappearing into the living room where I heard to CD player start back up with possible first dance songs.

Helping plan a gay man's wedding was definitely not good for my health.

* * *

**S.P.O.V**

I felt myself drool slightly at the sight of the sleek silver Jaguar parked off to the side of the road. Sitting behind the wheel I could see Carlisle with Edward in the passenger seat.

Why did I feel like this was bad?

Parking on my own side of the road I waited for another car to pass before getting out and jogging across the street, Carlisle motioning for me to get in the back with his head. Grasping the rain soaked handle I slid inside, trying in vain to leave most of the rain outside.

God it was awesome.

Leather seating with so many buttons and knobs I was on sensory overload. Tinted windows that gave you a crystal clear view of the outside yet looked almost black on the outside. Chrome seat belt hooks and 'oh shit' handles.

It still smelt new, too.

"Nuhh…" I managed to mumble out while rubbing my sleeve across the seat to wipe up any moisture that might ruin the pristine leather and make it mold.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Carlisle asked with a smile, looking at me in the rearview mirror.

I nodded, still taking in the sheer beauty of the car's interior.

"Supposed to get here weeks ago, but a few storms delayed the arrival." I nodded dumbly and felt my mouth still hanging open in awe.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" I managed out squeak out eventually after examining every last part down to the crème colored stitching.

"No, but I thought you'd like it."

"Oh."

"I called to meet you to see how you're doing." I frowned at this; how did he even find out? I'd been extra careful to keep my Bella thoughts to myself and to tread lightly whenever around Edward because of his mind reading.

But he apparently still found out.

Huh.

"We're very sorry for what you had to do in order to get Caroline out the way and realize the sacrifices you had to make." I jumped as Edward spoke; he had been so quiet I kind of forgot he was there. Turning in his seat he looked at me, stress clearly written on his face.

I briefly wondered if mine looked the same.

"Oh, well thanks. How's the kid?" I asked, unable to bring myself to say any names.

"She's fine, getting bigger with every passing day." He smiled faintly at this and shook his head as if he couldn't believe it.

I knew I couldn't.

"Good to hear it." I smiled slightly, not so sure as to how I should respond, something Carlisle seemingly picked up on.

"Here," he said while passing back an envelope to me, completely void of any writing, "this is why I called you here."

"What is it?" I asked, turning it over in my hands.

"Think of it as something to rest your thoughts." Edward said lightly, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Okay…" I said, still up in the air about this whole meeting.

"Your thoughts left traces in the other's minds." Looking up I met Edward's topaz eyes.

"Huh?"

"You want to know how we know; your pack," he stated softly, "you can all see each other's thoughts even if you don't want to. After one of you stops thinking about something the others can still retain that information without even knowing it. I found out about Caroline from picking apart your pack mate's thoughts." He said with a shrug as if randomly reading the thoughts of others was normal.

"Right. Retained information, got it." I nodded, still mulling the terms over in my head. "So the others were unconsciously thinking about my fake break up without even knowing it?"

"Correct."

"And that's how you guys found out."

"Yes."

"Well at least I feel up to speed now." I sighed, still idly flipping the envelope in my hands.

"I didn't mean to intrude, but I felt like some kind of debt was owed. Because of Bella and I your relationship was ruined before it could even be properly worked out. We're very sorry." I could tell by the look on Edward's face that he really meant it too, something that I liked about the guy.

He was usually pretty straight forward with me.

"So this is going to help?" I held up what Edward had given me, my gaze flitting between the two vampires.

"We asked Sam if he could spare a wolf." Carlisle smiled lightly as my eyes widened in disbelief and I tore into the envelope, my mind whirling with possibilities. My hands fumbled as I pulled out a folded piece of paper and rushed to get it open, my eyes quickly scanning the words.

I felt my face fall like an atomic bomb.

"He said he could, just not you."

God that's just wrong.

"So what's this then?" I asked, holding the paper up for them to read though they probably knew what it said. "These are just passwords and usernames and other techno mumble jumble."

"We thought that since you couldn't leave to go get Caroline back, we could send someone to watch her for you. The stuff on the seat there is for you." Carlisle motioned to a box and a bag on my right, something I had obviously missed in my excitement over the car.

Pulling the items closer I found the box to contain a laptop and the bag to hold various webcams and other computing accessories.

"Guys I really can't accept this." I said, pushing them away slightly, my mind already trying to figure out the sky high prices.

"Really, Seth, it's the least we can do." Carlisle tried to reason to me though I still opposed.

"Just take them Seth, please. Bella feels horrible about what happened; I really don't want to have to lie to her." Edward added in, a pleading tone in his voice.

After some deep thought I finally pulled the box and bag onto my lap and looked up to meet their awaiting gazes.

"Alright, fine," I sighed, "I'll take them!"

"You deserve them, Seth, you really do. It was a very brave thing you did for someone you really cared about." I met Carlisle's eyes and smiled weakly; he always seemed to know what to say.

"Well thanks guys, this does mean a lot to me." I admitted somewhat shyly; were we seriously having a touchy-feely guy moment?

Ew.

"You're very welcome." Carlisle said with a smile as I made a move to exit the car before stopping with my hand on the handle.

"And how did you manage to get Sam to send someone to Hawaii; he said he'd need all us? And I don't think anyone's missing either." I asked, running through the patrol list in my head and remembering the last time I had seen everyone.

Edward and Carlisle shared a look at this that I don't think I wanted to know the meaning of.

"Let's just say Sam can be very reasonable when he wants to be."

"Oh," I said, deciding to just leave it at that, "so who did he send?"

I honestly couldn't think of who was missing.

* * *

**C.P.O.V**

I groaned out loud as the doorbell echoed throughout the house.

I was only ten minutes into break and really didn't want to do anything else. Lying face down on my bed and wanting to be left alone was what I was hoping for , something Poot must have picked up on cause he swooshed by my door singing some made-up song about answering the door.

God he was gay.

I rolled over and sighed, relishing in the air being lazily pushed around by the ceiling fan. Right outside the double doors leading out to my own small balcony I could hear the ocean rushing against the shore along with various bird calls and people sounds.

"AAAAAIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!"

I could also hear Poot screaming bloody murder followed by the slamming of the front door and rapid footsteps running down the hall.

"YOU ARE THE BEST BITCH A GAY COULD HAVE!" Poot screamed as he rushed into my room, completely shattering my delicate atmosphere of relaxation.

"I take it someone was selling Avon at the door?" I asked, knowing how much he loved traveling make-up salespeople.

"Aren't you a kidder?" He laughed while playfully smacking my ass before practically ripping me off the bed and flinging me over his shoulder and rushing towards the door.

"You've officially knocked Cher off the top of my list of people who I admire the most!" He continued to gush as he finally sat me down in the foyer and ripped open the door, my eyes widening in shock.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GOT THIS YUMMY PIECE OF ASS TO COME HERE AND STRIP FOR ME!" Poot screamed once more, hopping around behind me and laughing manically at the action I never even performed.

"Yeah…Collin better be here to strip because other than that he shouldn't be here at all." I stated, my eyes still wide from shock as I took in young Collin's horrified expression at the raging gay behind me.

Talk about shit hitting the fan…I could actually hear it.

It sounded like a homosexual hyperventilating.

* * *

Ta-da! Another filler! Yay! Stay tuned for more because believe me; it's only going to get bigger. :D

Thanks again for all your time and effort, they truly mean the world to me. And don't forget about that poll; go vote now! Finally, I'm sure you know what to do now with that little button below, so go at it! ~ Fluff ;)

* * *

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**_Are you or a friend a Fullmetal Alchemist fan? Check out xcynicalx's The True Hands of Fate for an FMA fanfic never read before; now three chapters long and counting! Experience the mystery and adventure of the Elric brother's latest mission! _**


	26. Chapter 25

_**October 13, 2010 A/N: OH HOLY SHIT! I AM SO SORRY GUYS!** I uploaded this a week ago and thought it was really weird that I wasn't getting ANY feedback at all (I must brag that I usually always get something!) so I logged in and found that I had indeed uploaded it...just not added it as a new chapter! SO, SO, SO, SORRY AGAIN! I feel like a total dipshit right now! My god!_

_& I kept in the original A/N in the beginning in case anyone ever actually reads those things. So sorry once again! _

* * *

So, so, so, SO, sorry guys! I know it's been forever, and I really don't want to list off an excuse right now; it's pretty much the same one as always. LIFE.

_I'm fully aware that this is probably the worst update EVER, because it's so piddly in size and context, but I felt like I owed it to you all to post something for your patience, so here it is. Once again, I'm so very sorry for this, but it IS a filler chap (more so than the others) and I swear I'm trying to best I can here. _

_Thanks for all the reviews and comments still coming in; you guys are seriously the best! Finding a full inbox totally makes my day (and trust, I've been having some real shitty ones lately!) _

_**When the Wind Blows**_

_**Chapter 25**_

_**Scratch And Sniff**_

**C.P.O.V**

"I don't want to know why or how you got here or anything else for that matter," I sighed as Poot continued to dance around behind me, "just get in the house before I change my mind." And with that Collin firmly grasped the two suitcases by his feet and warily stepped over the threshold.

"MY GOD POOT, WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP?" I snapped while slamming the door shut with a little more force than necessary, earning a shocked look from the gay paused in mid-dance.

"Collin's not here to strip," I explained looking sideways at the nervous youth, "he's just _here_."

"Mmm-hmmm, I see how it is! You want him all for yourself missy!" Poot huffed as he approached me, an accusing finger outstretched and practically in my face.

"You wanna rethink that last statement?" I felt myself growl as my hand shot out to grab his finger and bend it slightly in the wrong direction.

"Alright, mercy, mercy, mercy! I believe you!" He cried out, jumping left and right at the minimal pain I was causing him. I let go and pushed him away, motioning for Collin to follow me further down the hall.

"I guess you'll be staying with me in my room." I ordered, taking him through the living room and past the kitchen.

"Why can't he stay out here in the den? Or in a guest room even?" Poot asked, following us like a stranded puppy looking for a home, a mischievous expression on his face as he continued to eye up Collin.

"Firstly, I don't trust you more than I think you're straight, and secondly, he can if he wants to, it's his choice." I said, stopping to turn to look at the person in question. "You can either stay out there," I nodded towards the living room, "or with me. Just know that anything that happens out in the rest of the house is beyond my control."

"Your room!" Collin immediately blurted, shuffling closer as he turned to look at Poot's Cheshire grin. "Definitely." He added as I started once more down the hall and instructed him into my room where I had to place an arm across the doorway to stop a possible molester from entering.

"Just drop your stuff anywhere," I ordered, pointing aimlessly around the room before turning to Poot, "you put one foot in this room without my permission I will bend something other than your finger in the wrong direction, understand?"

"Yes ma'am…" He mumbled in defeat before turning to move back down the hallway and into the kitchen where I heard the fridge open and bottles rattle.

I rolled my eyes at the melodramatics of it all.

Stepping further into my room I collapsed onto the foot of the bed, watching quietly as Collin neatly lined his stuff up along the wall.

"We can probably move one of the love seats in here for you to sleep on." I suggested suddenly, making the young boy jump and look over at me, a sheepish smile on his face.

"I can sleep on the floor, no problem! It'll be like I'm not even here!"

"Well really you're not supposed to be," I stated, frowning as his face fell slightly, causing me to regret my words instantly, "but I guess we'll make the most of it; I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss you."

And I really would.

I didn't necessarily miss La Push (that place could burn to a crisp for all I cared), but it was the people; Sam and Emily, Leah and Ms. Clearwater, Billy, my dad, and even Embry for god sakes.

During my time there these people had somehow worked (or in Embry's case, forced) their way into my life, and I really didn't have a problem with it. Without even realizing it, these people had somehow become like a family to me, one much larger than I was accustomed to growing up.

It was weird at first, having so many people to interact with, but after a while it just kind of became normal, like I was _meant_ to be there.

It was weird.

"Holy crap, Caroline, what are you doing?" Snapping out of my thoughts I looked up to see Collin quickly crossing over to me, his face incredulous. He gave me no time to even ask what he was talking about as he grabbed my hand and pulled it quickly from my chest, his other hand diving deep into his pocket to rip out some wadded up tissues that he forced into my free hand.

"Hold that tight or the bleeding won't stop!" He continued, kneeling down in front of me to help me hold pressure.

It was then that I noticed the red stained finger tips of my right hand.

Shit.

I was bleeding.

"It looks like you've been scratching it a lot; some of the skin's missing. What have you been doing?" I shook my head and tried to look down at his much larger hand over mine pressed hard against my sternum, the tissues hopefully clotting the cuts I had unknowingly made.

"I dunno; it's been hurting like a bitch for a while now, so I thought that rubbing or scratching it would make it go away."

"You should see a doctor."

"Already have."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Poot's soon to be hubby, Kev, is the only doctor around for a few miles. He looked at it the other day and just told me to leave it alone."

"And why haven't you?"

"C'mon, Collin, you know I never do as I'm told." He smiled at this and I felt myself internally 'awwww'; he was just so goddamn cute!

"Well hopefully it's stopped by now," he shook his head, pulling away his hand and mine to look underneath, "I think it's fine, but you should ask the doctor guy; don't want any infections or anything."

"How'd you get so smart about medical stuff?" I asked him in slight amazement; for such a young guy he acted extremely well in serious situations.

"T.V." He replied simply with a shrug and a smile, his overall cuteness making me laugh slightly as he finally stood back up and looked around for a trashcan to dispose the bloodied tissues in.

"Bathroom." I said, directing him to a door behind him and to his left.

"So how long did you say you've been scratching at it?"

"A while."

"And what's a while?"

"Since I left."

"Wow," He said, his voice echoing slightly from where he was still in the bathroom, "that's weird." God, what was he doing in there? Throwing away tissues didn't take five minutes.

"Yeah…it is weird," I agreed, my eyes narrowing in suspicion as I leaned a little to the side and tried to peek into the little room, "Collin?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"…nothing."

"Then why are you still in the bathroom?"

"No reason!" He said suddenly, his head popping around the corner so quickly I actually jumped.

"Then why don't you come back out here?"

"I'm just taking in my surroundings is all, getting familiar with the lay of the land, so to speak!"

"Right." I frowned; something was obviously up.

"Collin?"

"Yes?"

"Is there something you want to tell me?" He gulped at this.

"Huh? No, nothing, why? Do you want me to tell you something?"

"Nope. I don't need you to tell me anything!" I smiled so big he actually gulped again before retracting back into the bathroom.

His face alone had told me everything I needed to know.

* * *

**S.P.O.V**

I clicked the refresh button for what felt like the hundredth time.

Still no new e-mail.

What the hell was Collin doing?

He was supposed to be updating me as to whether or not he was there yet!

Sighing in frustration I leaned back in my desk chair and slapped a hand over my face; all this waiting was practically killing me.

There were of course other contributing factors, but it was safe to say this one took the cake. My patrol shift had only ended two hours ago, after which I had come straight home to sit in front of the computer, something I never did on a normal basis…mainly because we didn't have one.

Carlisle and Edward had fixed that, though, and god was it nice.

A free laptop was definitely the best gift I had ever gotten.

I was thinking about this in particular as I rubbed over my face, still dirty and sweaty from patrolling and then phasing in the forest and running home at full speed to see what Collin had sent me.

Which was apparently nothing.

Straightening back up I turned back to the screen and clicked the refresh button once more, my breath catching in my throat as I saw that I had one new message.

I almost broke the computer in my haste to click it.

'_Dude, sorry I took this long, but the gay guy thought I was a stripper! Luckily Caroline laid down the law and saved me and is making me stay with her in her room for safety. The gay apparently can't be trusted. And speaking of Caroline, what Sam said was right. She's definitely feeling the separation. She says her chest has been hurting like a bitch so she's been scratching it and crap and just now made it bleed. I think we got it to stop, but the other gay doctor dude is going to look at it. _

_She seems fine, a little sad, and doesn't want to know why or how I got here. She's getting suspicious now cause I'm in the shitter doing this, so I gotta go! Another update and hopefully some pics or something later! '_

I sighed in relief knowing that Collin had made it there in one piece and had found Cee.

I finally managed to deal with the fact she was gone, but I was still worried about the after effects.

Sam had told me before I had even decided to 'break up' with her that she would feel the separation more so than I would, mainly because she was trying to deny my very existence. That was probably just making things worse for her, but now was definitely not the time to tell her about imprinting.

And Collin wasn't the guy that's supposed to do it.

It was my job and I had already failed at it once; was I doomed to fail twice?

Trying not to dwell on this thought I pushed back in my chair and spun away from the computer.

At least I knew Collin had made it there and was with Caroline, helping her with problems that she probably doesn't even know she has.

Thank god for technology.

* * *

_So, once again: I'm extremely sorry for this shit of an update, but I'm trying the best I can here. I've recently taken on the position of a BETA reader and between that, writing this, and trying not to flunk college, find a job, find a car, and not lose my mind, it's been crazy!_

_As always your comments/reviews and patience are extremely appreciated. I love you all very much and really hope I haven't lost anyone in this most lengthy abscence. _

_For another little treat I've kind of re-done my profile if anyone wants to check that out. It was a spur of the moment thing as I posted this chapter, **so go check that out for some more information regarding When the Wind Blows and other story statuses!**_

_Much, much, MUCH, love ~Fluff ;)_


	27. Chapter 26

_Sooooo...does anyone know if there's an award given for the author with the worst updates ever? I think I'm pretty qualified. *sigh*_

_Anywho! I know this isn't much; it's seriously more like a drabble and less of a filler, which is sad. You guys don't deserve that, but right now it's all I can mange, so sorry! _

_Don't worry; one of these days you're going to come here for the new chapter and there's going to be a MONSTER of an update! I promise! So please, hang in there for me!_

**When the Wind Blows**

**Chapter 26**

**I Thought Vegas Or Titty Bars Was Where Boys Became Men?**

**ALL S.P.O.V **

"Seth?"

"Yeah?"

"You ready?"

"For what, exactly?" Leah smiled faintly and shook her head from where she was propped against my door frame while she idly kicked at a stray sock of mine that seemed to be crawling towards the door for freedom.

"Seth?"

"Yes?"

"I just…wanted…to say thanks." At this I turned to fully face her, abandoning the game of solitaire I was obviously losing on the computer.

"What?" I asked, not sure that I was hearing her right.

"Thanks…for all always being around."

"Well I do kind of live here…" I said, still not sure if this whole conversation was really happening.

Was I asleep or something?

Hallucinating maybe?

"You know what I mean!" She sighed, finally entering my room to plop down on the end of the bed. "I know you're my brother and all, but I just wanted you to know that I even though I don't show it, I'm thankful you're around; that you make me laugh and smile and even give me an outlet to vent my frustration to." Yeah, I knew all about that; had the bruises to prove it. "I know it hasn't been easy without…dad," she continued, once again kicking at the floor, "but I want you to know he'd be proud of you for stepping up and taking care of us."

"Oh, well, thanks…" I mumbled, slightly embarrassed at the fact that me and Leah were actually having a heart-to-heart chat. She didn't say anything after that and we both just kind of sat there, relishing in the quiet.

"So…"I found myself saying, reluctant to spit out the words on the tip of my tongue, "should we…?" God, I couldn't even finish my sentence.

"Yeah," Leah nodded, picking up on my lack of words, "it's time we go." I watched as she got up slowly to leave and smiled slightly when she looked back at me, her face neutral in expression.

She was nervous.

We all were.

With a sigh I twisted back to the computer to exit my stress fueled game of cards, knowing full well there was no way to win. I briefly wondered what else I wouldn't win as I clicked the tiny red x and made the window vanish instantly.

What I and the rest of the pack was about to do wasn't some game you could exit and save for later.

We didn't have a reset button or nifty weapons.

We didn't have multiple lives or second chances.

We didn't have magic potions to bring someone back to life or heal all our injuries.

We only had a fifty-fifty chance of game over.

* * *

Before arriving at the clearing for what was dubbed 'The Beat Down of Vampy Baddies' by Embry, we all decided to meet up at Sam's house to mingle for what could have been the last time.

And it wasn't just us as a pack; it was every single person we held dear.

Emily made us all a 'last meal' or sorts and no one even dared to utter the phrase. Small talk kept us going while we ate along with Embry's small table antics and jokes though they were slightly off.

Not as lively; scared even.

He gave up after a few tries.

Out of politeness we left Sam and Emily to have their moment though we did eavesdrop out of curiosity as to what they were saying to each other. It was all pretty mushy like we suspected until Sam's voice grew serious and he told Emily where his wedding vows was in case he didn't come home.

We all ran outside after that feeling like we were about throw up.

When we finally went back inside Emily was wiping away the last of her tears and even Sam was rubbing at his eyes.

We all pretended like we hadn't heard a thing.

After that Jared talked with Kim and gave her a promise ring, swearing he'd return. Paul hugged his mom and apologized for all the shit he's put her through thus far in life; he seemed truly genuine about it. Embry did the same with his mom and even went so far as to promise he'd do housework for a month if he made it back in one piece; she laughed slightly though the humor never even reached her eyes. Quil held onto Claire for dear life and absolutely refused to hand her off to anybody; he walked around outside most of the time singing her lullabies and kissing her cheek, promising her they'd play Barbies when he got back.

Leah and I had a group hug with mom, who tried her hardest not to cry. We hugged back like it was literally the last thing we'd ever do and told her we loved her and promised to look out for each other. She smiled and we pretended not to notice the tears running down her cheeks as she promised to make tacos for dinner tomorrow night. She refused to even consider the possibility that maybe Leah or I (or the both of us) might not come home.

After that mom left us to be with Emily and Leah went to talk to Jake's dad who had seemingly been abandoned by his own son in favor for his shiny new imprint.

It was disgusting.

I stood back and watched as my collective family interacted amongst themselves. I found it odd that no one had yet to mention Collin, but then again we all knew where he was.

He was with my imprint; the one I had already said goodbye to.

As discreetly as I could I pulled my phone from my pocket, the screen lighting up from my touch and smiled sadly as Caroline smiled back at me. She was on the beach, the ocean a deep cerulean blue stretching endlessly behind her until it melted with the sky.

She was wearing a white sundress with what looked to be neon colored fish on it; most likely one of Poot's latest designs. Her hair was pulled back carelessly yet still fell into her face, only making her smile even more.

I wondered if I'd ever get to see that smile in real life again.

* * *

Two days ago Collin sent me the first mini video he had made since arriving in Hawaii.

I had watched as Caroline filled the screen; her face twisted in confusion as she questioned Collin as to why he was filming her.

He lied straight through his teeth, just like he'd been told to do.

She simply smiled at this like she had a small little secret of her own and just went with it, never asking again throughout the ten minute video.

And I was thankful for that.

She was actually happy.

I remember watching as she ate her weight in frozen yogurt out of pure stress, how she was helping plan a gay wedding, how she slept on the beach in only a sleeping bag because the night sky was so clear, and how she sang and danced round while she cooked breakfast.

I watched her surf for the first time; there was a reason she has…well…_had_…a sponsor.

It was like watching art in motion.

The moment I remember most though was when she thought Collin wasn't filming her.

She must have been on the back deck of the house, curled up in a wicker chair with a mug of something in front of her.

It was twilight and the setting sun practically had her glowing.

She was looking out to sea, an expression on her face I can say I've honestly never seen.

She stays like for a few moments until apparently sensing someone staring and looks over to Collin, who was un-originally hid in the bushes.

She doesn't yell or laugh or chase after him.

Instead she smiles; a smile that crinkles up her face and makes her eyes glow with only a light she can produce. Collin laughs nervously in the background, embarrassed at having been caught and turns off the camera.

When I get the video he's attached a message along with it; he said she sometimes slips up and calls him Seth, but quickly makes up for it by rushing off to do some pointless task in a fluster.

He said that the wedding is only four days away.

He said she looks beautiful in her maid-of-honor dress.

I completely believed him.

* * *

I know, I know! It was so piddly and short, but please don't break out the pitchforks and torches quite just yet, I beg you! XD

Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews, comments, patience, and tolerance. THEY'RE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!


	28. Chapter 27

_Yeah, so, quite a lengthy absencse there, I know, but rather than spout some BS I'd rather just get this done. So without further ado, here's the new chapter, hopefully to your liking. In memory of all the family members who decided to pass away during the most eventful part of the year. God ya'll have a sick sense of humor..._

_When the Wind Blows_

_Chapter 27_

_Right When The Finish Line Is In Sight It Gets Ripped Away_

* * *

"You always do this, Poot, every single damn time!" I complained as Poot fluttered around me with a look of grim determination on his face.

I sighed and smacked a hand to my face.

"I'm telling you, Caroline, this is important! I know what I'm doing and it'll be over in like, five seconds."

"You said those exact same words two hours ago!" I argued, glaring at him through my fingers. He rolled his eyes at me and continued to work; proving my antics to be useless. I sighed and shook my head as Poot once again twirled around to consult his sketches for my _new_ maid of honor dress.

The one he just _has_ to make it because it looked so cool in his dream.

Leave it to Poot to totally uproot everything that we had so solidly planned. Everything for the wedding was done – invites were out, the backyard was set up for the ceremony, the reception hall was finalized and decorated, the cake was ready – everything was perfect.

Then the gay man had to go and get struck by '_an epiphany sent forth by the divine beings of the fashion world_'.

And yeah, that's a direct quote.

So that explains why I'm standing here, half naked, at two o'clock in the morning with random scraps of fabric hanging off my body.

"Tell me again why you're not using a mannequin for this?" I whined as I put my hands on my hips so as to stretch forwards and backwards in the small pause of work. Poot looked at me from over his shoulder.

"I told you, I have all my other models otherwise engaged, and this dress is being made especially for you, so you really should be down on your knees praising at my awesomeness." He explained politely, though I could detect the underlying tone of 'duh, you dipshit', as if he thought I would actually remember everything he had said earlier.

I flipped him the bird and continued to stretch, groaning loudly as my neck cracked in two different places.

"Alright, bitch, I figured out what our problem is." Poot said turning back around to me, his design sketch clutched in his hand.

"You mean _your_ problem..." I mumbled even though I'm sure he heard me.

"Yes, well, a solution to the problem nonetheless." Work-mode Poot was so boring; the man took his fashion shit too seriously.

It's just clothes, people, clothes!

"And the verdict?" I ground out, wondering what in god's name was wrong. Looking down at myself I looked fine; the dress was pretty much complete, it just needed some extra 'flair'.

I'm not quite sure what that means.

I'm kind of scared.

"I need to cut about a foot off the bottom." He said, biting his lip and looking at me expectantly as though he truly cared what I had to say. I just stared at him, then back down at my body, then back up, a frown on my face.

"Are you blind?" I asked, my hands gesturing at my person. "It's already at my knees; you hack off another foot I might as well be flashing people my va-jay-jay as I walk around!" I exclaimed, eyes wide and mouth gaped open.

Poot just laughed.

"Okay, so a foot's a bit much, but it really would look much better shorter…tastefully shorter." He added as I glared at him, hands firmly back on my hips. We stared off for a few seconds until finally he had to sneeze and look away, causing a smug smirk to creep across my face.

"That does _not_ count!" He accused with a pointed finger, knowing full well what was growing through my mind.

"You still looked away!" I retorted childishly before sticking out my tongue. Poot just shook his head and turned around to grab a pair of scissors, his fingers snapping them open and close.

"After this I'll be done, I swear!" He assured me before bending down slightly to stare at my hem line. I just shook my head and crossed my arms, ignoring how his fingers were walking up and down my thigh, wondering where the new length should end.

"Hold very still. If you move I'll have to start all over again…and I know how much you would _love_ that." I didn't even need to look to know he was secretly enjoying my pain. I could hear the evil smile in his voice.

"Just do it already!" I snapped, forcing myself not to jerk around. Poot snickered from below me.

"That's what she said!" He giggled as he tugged the hem straight and began to cut.

It took all I had not to kick him.

Minute by minute ticked by as Poot slowly revolved around me, cutting the fabric and pinning up the raw edges so as to sew it later for a neat, clean hem.

I have to admit I admired his work ethic; god knows I can't focus on anything for more than ten minutes…and even that was getting a lot worse. I used to have good concentration skills; was able to multitask and get shit done. All I can manage to do now is not burn food while actually standing right beside it and monitoring it.

Now that's bad.

It's like ever since I came back here my brain's just been nothing but fuzz; like it's picking up on a bad radio connection or something. I have to put twice the amount of effort into something just to get it to turn out remotely correct, and then after it's done I feel physically drained.

Life wasn't supposed to be this hard, was it?

"Done!" Poot exclaimed from behind me, making me jump and causing a needle to stick me in the leg. "Aren't we excited?" He teased, picking up the extra fabric that had fallen to the ground around my feet and tossing it to his work table. It took me a few moments to realize he was actually talking to me.

"Huh? Oh, we're done, aren't we?" I asked, looking down my front and noticed I could now see my knees and a bit of thigh. "Hmmm," I mused, "not as bad as I thought it'd be." I admitted with a shrug. Poot laughed and grabbed my arm to spin me around to face the full length mirror on the opposing wall.

I actually had to repress my shock.

The first dress he had made me wasn't bad, but it was a bit too flowy and hippie-ish for what he was going for. This new dress, however, fit better with his overall scheme of peacock colors and elegance. The royal blue color looked slightly muted in the fluorescent lighting, but the dress was stunning nonetheless. Now knee length and elegantly wrapped and knotted around the hips and bodice. It was crinkled enough to look classy, yet slightly messy, and didn't make me look pregnant.

I had to give the guy credit.

"It's looks great Poot," I smiled, patting him on the shoulder from where I stood on the slight platform.

"Yes!" He exclaimed, grabbing both my hands and jumping into a small dance he had randomly made up. "Now get your ass out of that so I can sew it and get it ready!" He practically shoved me off the stand in his haste to get down to business. I complied and slipped behind the divider to change back into my tank and shorts. Once back to normal I handed the dress off to him and proceeded to make a break for the door to flee from the home office.

"Just a sec!" He fluttered, holding up a hand as he laid his newest creation out flat before him before turning to me. "I need to talk to you about something."

"What now?" I whined, complete with hunched back and turned in knees.

"It's really important, so I'd appreciate some sentiment!" He trilled, motioning me over to the small loveseat in the corner. I groaned and followed, collapsing down beside him.

He took one of my hands and held in both of his.

Why did it feel like an onslaught of emotional baggage was about to be tossed my way?

"Now don't laugh or anything, and I know you're tired, but seeing as the wedding is tomorrow afternoon I thought now would be the best time to do this."

"Ya think?" I asked, my head rolling around to look at him. He just smiled and tugged at my hand, shaking his head slightly.

"I know you probably hate me right now, seeing as I've been a complete diva since you got here, but just hear me out."

"Fine," I sighed, sitting myself up straighter and turning to face my gay, "lay it on me!"

"I know I've asked a lot of you; the planning, the travelling, the time, _your hair…" _He smiled at this and I immediately felt myself flair up in a tizzy.

"I said we'd never speak of that again!" I seethed as my free hand flew up to cradle my new style of hair: a shoulder length cut with a slightly angled bob thing going on and bangs.

_Bangs_, people!

It really was the worst moment of my life…kind of: Kev had practically cornered me in the shower after chasing me around the house with a pair of scissors, hell-bent on making me look perfect for the wedding.

And I wasn't even the one getting married!

I would never, ever, _ever_ forgive him for that.

"I know, I know, I know, and I really am sorry, but that whole messy street rat thing you had going on just _sooooo _didn't work with what I'm going for an—" My hand flew up to stop him.

"Just tell me what you want so I can go to bed." I said with an even voice, still worked up at the mentioning of my new doo… god, I hated bangs.

"As I was saying, I really appreciate all that you've done for not only myself, but also for Kev, and would love to just ask for one more little thing from you."

"I'm not having your child." I deadpanned with one hundred percent seriousness in my words. Poot only laughed at this and gripped my hand tighter.

"Believe me, Caroline, that is that last thing I would ever ask of you. I fear for whoever will someday have legal rights to any kid of yours." He continued to laugh until I pulled my hand from his and smacked him hard across the head.

"Alright, alright, sorry, I'm getting to the point!" He assured me as he grabbed both my hands this time and settled down.

"As I was saying, there's just one more thing I was wondering of you could for us. Kev and I talked it over the other night and we've decided to change the ceremony a bit." At this I was about to complain, but stopped as he held up a hand to signal he wasn't finished. "I know Kev and I were going to walk down the aisle together, but we've decided that it would be more fitting for him to already be at the altar and for you to walk me down." He explained calmly, the whole time watching my face for any kind of reaction.

My thoughts flew endlessly around in my head, trying to make sense of just what was really being asked of me.

"So you want me," I pointed at myself, "to walk you," I then pointed at him, "down the aisle to 'give away' to Kev?"

"Very good, my little pufferfish, you managed to work that out on your own." He grinned at me with a small shake of repressed laughter.

"Why?" I found myself blurting out, still trying to wrap my mind around the whole thing.

"C'mon, Care Bear, you know why. Neither of our parents is going to be here; in fact they don't even know about it." He explained softly. "I just thought it'd be fitting for you to give me away since you've been, like, my only family for the past few years. You've been there for me through everything, and I'd like us to share this experience." At this he finally looked away, a slight blush on his cheeks and he reached up to rub the back of his neck. I stopped him halfway and leaned over to grab him and giant bear hug.

"You know I wouldn't have this any other way." I sighed into his shoulder and smiled as he gripped me back with an even tighter embrace. "You're my gay man, so of course I'm going to give you away!" He laughed at this and shook me back and forth in his excitement and I swear I felt a rib crack.

"You're the greatest bitch in the whole wide world, and I swear to god, after all this is over, you can stay here at the house while we honeymoon down under with the kangaroos!" He squealed in his delight as he continued to jiggle us around on the couch.

I just laughed along and let my mind wonder into the onslaught of fuzz working its way back in.

I guess there's just some stuff in life you don't have to think about.

I liked the things likes that.

* * *

I was fixing my bangs – _godhowIhatethem!_ – when Collin popped his head into my room.

Hr grinned as he looked me up and down.

"What?" I asked, suddenly completely self conscious as I stepped back to look at myself in the mirror.

"Nothing!" He assured me quickly as he came to stand next to me and smiled at our reflections. "You look good!" He nodded at me with a nudge as if to prove his point.

"Yeah, well, you're not too bad yourself!" I joked as I turned to flatten out his collar a bit more despite the fact it was already in pristine shape.

I think it was the nerves.

"Are we supposed to match?" He asked suddenly with wide eyes as he realized we were in the same hue of blue.

"Wow Collin, I think the gay might be rubbing off on you." I smirked before laughing at his horrified expression. "Yes, we're supposed to match!" I continued to laugh at his still flustered expression.

"Just making sure…" He mumbled, fully aware of what would happen if were in deed _not_ supposed to be wearing the same colors.

I have to admit that in the time since he's been here Collin's picked up our way of life pretty easily: do something wrong you get slapped on the ass.

Course that rule wasn't really in existence until he actually showed up, but no one besides myself, Poot, and (reluctantly) Kev, knew about it.

It was just fun to watch him suffer.

"So…" I started before I actually knew where I was going, "are we ready?" I asked lamely. The boy beside me just shrugged and reached into his tux jacket to tug at his royal blue vest.

"Damn it's hot in this thing!" He complained as he tried in vain to fan himself with a hand. I gave a small smile in sympathy before grabbing one of the wedding programs off the dresser and handing it to him. He smiled back weakly before beginning to fan himself with it.

That was another weird thing about Collin: he was somehow tuned to me.

It was weird.

He just always managed to show up at the right moments and seemingly knew what I was thinking.

Creepy would be another word for it, I guess.

"I know it has to suck wearing that thing, especially because…well…yeah." I tried not to make eye contact with his reflection in the mirror and instead went back to mussing with my hair.

I kind of hoped he'd just disappear, but apparently not.

"Leah really likes your hair." He commented as he made to sit down on the end of my bed. "She thinks it looks nice." I forced what I hoped was a smile onto my face and just continued to fiddle with random things on the dresser.

"When'd you talk to her?" I managed to squeak out without looking up.

"Last night. She called to tell me she got the pictures I had sent."

"Oh…" I mumbled, still too chicken to move.

I frowned as I thought back a few weeks to when Collin had unknowingly began talking about La Push.

And I use the term 'unknowingly' loosely.

It had all started out relatively simple.

Kev had asked him a few questions about where he was from and what not and since then he's been like a broken faucet slowly dripping information. It began with him mentioning some random tid-bit about what the guys were doing when a situation arose that he could relate it to people back home. The whole 'oh yeah, Embry did something like that…' or 'Paul said that too…' and so on.

It was both annoying and slightly addicting.

From there it grew to nightly phone conversations with some of the guys, all of which I'd sit in the hallway and eavesdrop on, and then it'd be pictures taken of all us doing the most random things ever: watering the garden, sketching, sleeping, frying an egg, me watching _Glee_.

You name it and Collin probably has a picture or video clip of someone doing it.

After that he progressed onto trying to get me active in the conversations, but to no avail. I adamantly refused to talk to anyone besides my father, all of which I've only had two full length conversations with.

Great parenting skills right there…seriously.

"…asked when we'd be back, and I told them most likely after the reception." Collin's voice broke into my thoughts, causing me to glance up at him in the mirror.

"What?" I asked, finally turning around to face him full on.

"Sam asked when we'd be back…" He began again before stopping at my expression.

"Collin," I sighed, walking over to sit next to him on the bed, "there's something I need to tell you."

"Uh, okay?" I smiled slightly and patted his knee.

"I don't have a ticket home," I started, chancing a look at his face to see if he was getting it, "I know for a fact you do." He just stared at me, obviously not getting the bigger picture. "You can go home whenever you like, but me: I'm staying here, even after the wedding's over with."

"…what?" He finally asked with a hurt expression on his face as though I had just kicked his nads.

"Poot's asked me to watch the house while they're gone on the honey moon, so I'm just going to stay here a little bit longer."

"_But that's not part of the plan!_" He snapped angrily before standing up so quickly from the bed that the program he had been using to fan himself fluttered weakly to the floor.

"What plan?" I asked back, watching him pace back and forth before me.

"_I'm supposed to bring you back after the wedding!_" He whined as he clutched at this hair and looked at me. "Do you know how much trouble I'll be in if I show up _without_ you?"

"Wait, what? I'm not following here." I said standing up myself and trying to grab his arm so as to keep him still.

"If I go home without you then everyone's gonna be _pissed_ and _Seth is going to kill me_!" I felt my heart pause for just a second as the name flew from his lips.

"Why's he going to kill you?"

"_BECAUSE_!" Collin yelled as he pulled his arm free, "He's not going to be able to tell you everything about imprinting and why he broke up with you and the vampire war that's goi—" It was here that Collin stopped dead in tracks like a deer in the headlights.

I stared at him with an equal amount of shock before stumbling backwards and landing on the bed.

We stared at each other for a few long seconds before the action happened; like someone clicking 'play' on a DVD paused in mid epic fight sequence.

Collin made to bolt for the door as I lunged after him, managing to hug him around the knees and send him flying face down into carpet. For a fleeting second I thought he was getting the best of me before I decided to do the only I could think of and bit him.

Yes.

_I bit him._

Right on the thigh, I might add.

He actually screamed at this, one more girly than I thought possible for someone like him, and waited until he stopped thrashing around to let go. Once he stopped I figured I was safe enough to let him and go and slowly got up, letting go of his legs in the process. He remained motionless as I continued to stand and only moved to peek over his shoulder to see what I was doing. I glared down at him before turning to the dresser to find and object to threaten him with before catching movement in the corner of my eye.

Little fucker was making a break for it!

I jumped at him and somehow managed to hook my arms around his neck and force myself into a piggy back position, my heels flying off in the process.

"Let go of me, damn it!" He yelled as he tried to smack at me, but to no avail.

"Tell me what the hell's going on Collin!" I screamed back as he staggered down the hallway and into the living room.

"Nu uh, Cee, I ain't the one spilling the beans!" He cried as he ran backwards into the wall, effectively knocking the wind out of me. At this I only gripped him tighter and tried to lean forward so as to bite his ear.

"You already spilled the beans, you dumbass, now all you need to do is cook 'em!" I fought back as his hands tried to pry away my vice-like arms.

"WHAT IN GAGA'S NAME DO YOU BITCHES THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

Uh oh.

We were in trouble…_BIG_ trouble.

Both Collin and I ceased in our actions and turned agonizingly slow to face Poot, stone still in the middle of the entranceway leading to the kitchen.

He was wearing and expression I had never seen.

"I'm going to close my eyes and count to ten and when I open them you're both going to be gone trying to fix yourselves back to normal." At this he really did close his eyes and take a deep breath.

"1…" He started, sending Collin into a frenzy to try and get me to let go.

"…2…" I continued to try and scratch at him despite the warning we had just received.

"…3…" Collin once again ran backwards into the wall, this time cracking my elbow into the edge, making me screech out a very unflattering name.

"…4…" I smacked at his head and grabbed a decorative plate off the wall only to crack it down over his head. I saw Poot flinch at this, but keep his eyes closed nonetheless.

"…5…" Collin tumbled slightly, the plate fragments crunching under his foot. I once again leaned forward and instead of biting I pinched at his ear.

"…6…" He suppressed his scream of pain and instead stumbled over to the sofa where he flipped us over the back.

"…7…" He continued to roll around under he had me wedged underneath the coffee table and I was forced to let go.

"…8…" Just as he got up to scramble away I grabbed his ankle and made him trip and fall into the side table, his hands frantically juggling Poot's vintage 1920's era lamp…the one that cost more than the both of us combined.

"…9…" I let go of him and he placed the lamp back on the table and we both bolted off in different directions: Collin to the dining room and me back down the hall.

"…10!" The silence in the house was practically deafening, but nothing compared to what came next.

"WHICH ONE OF YOU LITTLE FUCKERS BROKE THE PLATE THAT I PERSONALLY GOT FROM MADONNA HERSELF FOR DOING THAT VMA DRESS?" Poot screamed upon seeing the damage we had done.

Both our accusing cries of 'he did it' and 'she did it' sounded at the same time.

* * *

Wow guys, so there it is, fresh off the press. To those of you still out there who are still loyal readers (I really don't deserve you guys) reviews and comments are alwats appreciated. Thanks for sticking through this with me, it's been a rough holiday season. THANKS AND MUCH LOVE!


	29. Chapter 28

_BAM! Two updates in a row and more coming. I'm ready to get this done, even if it has taken a turn for the worse. What do guys think? Is it too weird now and not Twilight-y enough? That's okay...I don't really like Twilight anymore anyways. Damn you Hollywood! _

_When the Wind Blows_

_Chapter 28_

_So...Yeah...Shit's Hit The Fan_

C.P.O.V

Poot's wedding will forever be considered one of the most epic things ever in my lifetime on earth.

It only took the man five minutes after the breaking of his prized Madonna plate to crack into the reserved bottles of wine that hadn't already been sent over to the reception hall.

I found him precisely twenty minutes after the first bottle had been popped open for fear that he seriously would kill me for the fight.

Collin was absolutely nowhere to be found.

Even his shit was gone.

Go figure: leave me to take the blame.

But actually there was no blame to be had because Poot was stone drunk.

Completely, hopelessly, hilariously, drunk.

God, it was awesome!

I walked into the kitchen to find him slumped down against the cabinets, an empty bottle already beside him with another one in his hand.

He smiled up at me with a goofy grin that was the dead giveaway he was completely blitzed.

"Carolineeeeeeeeeeee!" He continued to grin, saluting me with the bottle. "I've missed you!"

I couldn't help myself and actually laughed.

"I missed you too, Poot," I played along, slowly inching closer towards him, "why don't you hand me that and we can drink together?" I held out my hand, fingers wiggling slightly.

As much fun as it was to watch Poot drink himself into oblivion, he _was_ getting married this afternoon and him being drunk would not be good.

"You whore," He sighed, hugging the bottle closer to him, "you're trying to sssteal my um-bur-ella."

"….what?" That didn't even make sense.

"I know, Pooty, and I'm a terrible person because f that," I reasoned, moving in closer, "but you really need to give me that, you know why?" His eyes grew wide and his cheeks grew redder.

"Whhhyyyyyyy?" He breathed, looking like a kid in a candy shop.

"Why? You know why!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

"Tell me!" He begged, offering the bottle out ever so slightly.

"Because _she's_ coming, Poot!"

"Wooooooowwwwww! Who? Who's coming? The queen?"

"Not the queen…better!" The bottle was only inches away now.

"Who, who, who?" He questioned, sounding oddly like an owl.

I had to force myself not to laugh.

"Lady…_Gaga_." I said as seriously as I could muster.

The reaction was pretty much instant.

"OH HOLY HO-BAGS I NEED TO FIND THOSE MONEKY OUTIFTS FROM PERU AND GET THE OUT THE GOOD BOOK SHOES AN—"

"Wait, wait, wait, Poot! You need to do something first!" I had to yell slightly to be heard over him. He stopped quickly and looked at me, a look of sheer happiness on his face.

God, this was awesome.

"First you need to drink at least four cups of coffee," I instructed with a nod, "then you need to get a shower," he nodded with me this time, "and then come find me. Okay?"

"Anything for Mother Monster!" He squealed and attempted to stand, only to fall sideways and crack his forehead hard against the cabinet door.

Well shit…that was going to leave a mark.

I helped him into a standing position before sitting him down at the table and pouring the first cup of coffee. I wasn't entirely sure how this was going to work, seeing as he had just downed a whole bottle and a half of wine, but the wedding was only two hours away and he was pretty far out there. As an afterthought I slid the trashcan over next to him and politely replied 'it's for your excess happiness to fall into!' when he asked me what I was doing.

God this was priceless.

I sat with him until he had downed the first two cups of coffee then left him alone as I went to search for Collin.

Had he gone home?

Was he hiding out somewhere?

He really couldn't have gotten far.

I shook my head and returned to the kitchen only to freeze on the spot.

Where was Poot?

Surely he hadn't downed two more cups of pure black coffee that quickly, right?

It was just as I was peeking around the doorway into the dining room that I smelt it.

The sickly smell that often went with hospitals and germaphobes: the smell of bleach.

I practically flew into the kitchen to find Poot sitting on the floor in front of the sink, the white bottle open in front of him and a dorky smile on his face. His wet hands glistened in the lighting and I practically tackled him so as to get him away from the bottle of cleaner.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" I screeched as I grabbed a towel to dry his hands – no easy feat as he was trying to hug me and I was trying to stop him from ruining my dress. I managed to grab the towel and rubbed his hands until they were no longer wet then pulled him to his feet.

It was then that I noticed he was sweating.

"God, Poot, are you okay?" I asked, wiping my hand across his forehead only to realize it wasn't sweat.

It was bleach.

Dripping down from his hair.

His _black_ hair.

"_Oh my god_…" I breathed, too shocked to believe what was happening.

It was then that two things happened simultaneously: The front door slammed open and shut and Poot began trying to pull his own tongue out of his mouth.

Looking over at the entranceway I actually sighed in relief: Collin.

He opened his mouth to same something, but I think my glare and the sight before him made him stop.

"Don't. Say. A. Word." I ground out, trying to smack away Poot's hands. "Grab the coffee pot and the mug and follow me to the bathroom very slowly." I instructed as I maneuvered Poot around the island counter and down the hall, Collin moving silently behind me, his face stuck between a frozen laugh and horror.

Once in the master bathroom in Poot's room I effectively jabbed the back of his knees and made him sink to the side of the bath tub where I quickly turned on the water, hoping and praying to god that the bleach would just simply wash out.

Collin jumped around behind us, trying to see what was going on.

"Hand me the shampoo!" I snapped at him, effectively causing him to drop the coffee mug onto the tile floor where it shattered. "Clean that up, too!" I ordered as he tossed a bottle over my shoulder and grabbed a towel off the rack.

"What the hell happened here?" He asked frantically as he tried to avoid Poot's kicking feet that was scattering the mug remnants around.

"Poot decided to have happy hour early after we broke the plate!" I said as I scrubbed furiously at the head before me, still hoping and praying it was alright.

"And the bath?" Collin asked again, causing me to actually give a small laugh despite the seriousness of the situation.

"I don't know why, actually. Poot just decided to dump bleach in his hair." I smacked the faucet off and motioned for a towel over my shoulder. Seconds later I was pat drying Poot's hair in the hopes that when the towel was removed his usual onyx hued locks would be in perfect shape.

As I weakly tugged the towel off his head I immediately slapped a hand over my mouth and exchanged a look with Collin. For a few seconds we looked back and forth between each other and Poot, who was still completely drunk and propped up against the tub, well on his way to passing out.

"Can…can we get a sharpie or…or _something_?" Collin asked quietly, his eyes still trained on Poot's head.

"Um…" I swallowed, completely at a lost as to what to do, "there's, uh, some spray paint in the garage…"

"Isn't that toxic, though?"

"Like a fuckin' Sharpie's better?" I asked, whirling around to look at Collin. He flinched away slightly, obviously getting that I wasn't going to kick his ass because we had a much bigger fish to fry.

"How about we cut it?" He asked suddenly, bending down with his hands on his knees to look closer as the (now) passed out gay man.

"Nu-uh, no way!" I said getting up from the floor. "It's bad enough we broke his plate and now he's fucking wasted! We can't cut his hair!" I exclaimed as I paced out into the hallway, running my hands through my hair.

What the hell were we going to do?

Calling Kev was out of the question: he'd just freak and cancel the wedding and then once Poot finally sobered up he'd be twice as pissed.

I groaned as I chanced a glance at the clock and found we only had an hour left until the ceremony, which also meant people…

"HOLY SHIT!" I screamed, causing Collin to rocket out of the bathroom and look at me.

"People!" I cried, flailing around helplessly. "They're going to start showing up! We need to get the band and everything set up and the candles lit and all that other stuff."

"Oh my god!" Collin panicked, grabbing a fistful of hair and tugging at it. My own hands flew to my temples where I forced myself to focus. I ran through everything that needed to be down and found there wasn't that much to do, but enough to still be slightly overwhelming giving the current circumstances.

"Collin!" I called, snapping him to attention. "I'm still going to kick your ass, but right now, for the sake of having this wedding, you need to stay here with Poot, fix his hair, let him sleep for another forty five minutes, then wake him up and pump him full of coffee."

"A-alright, I can do that!" He flushed, popping back into the bathroom where I heard the cabinet doors being thrown up and bottles clanking together.

Marching out of the bedroom I launched myself into the backyard, where the candles needed to be lit, the flowers set out, the band set up, the ribbons strung, and the one usher directed in what he was supposed to do along with the priest who was only certified because he had a certificate printed offline.

Sketchy, I know, but seeing as gay marriage isn't exactly legal in Hawaii, some things had to be compromised…a legit marriage for example.

Just to name one.

By the time all of this was done Kev had pulled into the driveway and was already out of the car and in the house where I intercepted him in the hall outside his and Poot's bedroom.

"Kev! Oh my god! You're home!" I gushed, both my arms clinging to the door jamb for dear life so as to keep him from progressing even further.

"Caroline," He half smiled, obviously confused, "nice to see you to. What's going on?"

"Nothing!" I chimed with a bit more force than necessary.

"Oh, well, alright then. I just need to get my tux an—"

"No, no!" I laughed through clenched teeth, "I'll get it. Poot doesn't want you to uh, see him yet. Before the ceremony. Bad luck, ya know!" I laughed again, teeth clenched so painfully tight. Kev just stared at me, obviously at the conclusion that something was going on, but apparently decided he'd just go with it.

"Alright then, just be quick. People are starting to arrive."

"Sure thing!" I grinned, jumping backwards into the room and slamming the door shut. Running over to the closet I flung open the door and viciously grabbed at the biggest dress bag I could, assuming it'd be the tux.

"Here," I said flinging open the door and tossing Kev his clothes, "Poot said after you're dressed you can go outside and mingle. Shaping up to be a great sunset, huh?" I didn't give him time to answer as I slammed the door back shut and locked it for good measure. From there I shot back towards the bathroom only to stop dead in my tracks at what I found.

"WATER COLOR?" I screeched, causing Collin to jerk around and look at me. "Do you honestly think water color is going to cover up the gray patches?" His mouth gaped open and shut like a fish and it took everything I had not to kill him right then and there.

"God you're a dipshit!" I spat at him as I once again flew to closet and dug around, the image of what I was looking for already in my mind. Poot had to have some somewhere in here...

"Yes!" I cheered, holding the spray can in my hand triumphantly as I raced back to the bathroom. Collin must have been anticipating me as he was now standing in the bathtub trying to pull Poot up from his slumped position. I skidded to a halt and fell to my knees and I yanked off the can lid and shook it a few times.

"Shoe polish?" Collin asked incredulously, eyeing the can with a look of shock.

"It's better than fucking water color! I mean seriously, Collin, where did you even find it?" I asked as I gave the can a few more quick shakes and moved closer to Poot. He was still pretty much out for the count so this should be easy.

With a few sprays here and there we had Poot looking like normal in a matter of minutes, especially after I fixed his hair with a comb and cemented everything in place with extra amounts of shoe polish and hairspray.

Guy could probably play football without a helmet, that's how hard it was.

"Alright," I ordered, tossing the can into the sink beside me, "we need to get him dressed. Go to the window and see if Kev's outside." Collin jumped over us and loped to the window, returning seconds later to help me lift Poot up and drag him out to the bed.

"He's out there and it's starting to fill up." At this my heart beat faster as we frantically undressed Poot and gussied him up for his wedding, the whole time slapping his face to get him to wake up.

"Wha…" He eventually mumbled out as I zipped his pants and tucked in his shirt.

"Mornin' sunshine! Have a nice beauty sleep?" I gushed, trying in vain to get him up and moving. "Collin go get the coffee and two Advil. Hurry!" Poot just fell back onto the bed, a hand smacking over his face.

"What the fuck happened to me?" He mumbled through his fingers, making me bite my tongue as I tried to pull him up so as to slide on his vest.

"I don't know Pooty-poo, but I know you look fabulous!" I continued to spiel as Collin appeared behind me with the whole coffee pot and two pills. "Here, take these; they'll help with the nerves!"

"Nerves?"

"Yeaaaaaahhh, buddy, you're getting married today, remember?" Poot stared at me with slightly glassy eyes until a small spark of recognition gave me the hope that maybe not all was lost.

"Yeaaahh….I am!" He smiled sheepishly as he took the pills and coffee pot, sipping from it slowly with caution as I pointed out he was in his tuxedo.

"I look good." He grinned as he rubbed his hands over his vest clad chest.

"Damn straight you do!" I laughed nervously as I motioned for Collin to take one arm as I grabbed the other so as to get Poot to his feet. "And now we're off to get married!" I cried, progressing us towards to the door.

"To Kev!" Poot informed us as he vigorously shook his head and we continued to tell him about the details. This continued all the way through the house and down the basement stairs to the door where me and Poot would make our grand entrance. Collin had been placed in charge of the rings and dutifully picked up the pillow and made a beeline for the door.

"Hey," I said as I grabbed his arm to stop him from moving, "we're still not finished." I reminded him with a steady look to prove my point. He just nodded slightly and slipped out through the double French doors only to pop his head back in minutes later to tell us that they're ready. I motioned him to go on and turned to Poot, who was slowly, but steadily sobering up.

Thank god he didn't throw up.

"Alright Poot, now's the big moment!" I smiled as I straightened up his tie and flattened out his jacket.

"It is, isn't it?" He asked, small tears pricking in his eyes as he pulled me into a bone crushing hug. "Is Lady Gaga here yet?" He asked quietly and I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling.

"Not yet, babe, but she'll definitely be at the reception, okay?"

"Okay." Poot nodded as I handed him his small bouquet and we centered ourselves with the doors. Just as I was about to reach forward to fling them open, Poot pulled me into yet another hug and swayed us back and forth.

"Alright, I get it, but we need to stop. The music's starting." And sure enough we could hear the soft harmonies of the violins filling the backyard.

"I hope someday I can walk you down the aisle, Pufferfish." Poot whispered quietly as he pulled away, fixed my hair and rumpled dress, and looped my arm through his.

"Ready?" I asked, nodding as he smiled and wiped at his eyes. "Good."

And with that we flung open the doors and relished in the awestruck gasps of the guests as they marveled at the beauty of it all.

Either that or Poot's bruised forehead and my bare feet, but hey, at least they were getting married, right?

* * *

Phew! Two in a row...told ya'll to expect a monster update! This on was definitely a filler, but at least the conclusion afterwards, so stay tuned! THANKS AND LOVE TO THOSE WHO ARE STILL READING! YOU ARE VERY APPRECIATED!


	30. Chapter 29

**A/N: It's time to finish this. :)**

_When the Wind Blows_

_Chapter 29_

_One Last Hurrah...Or Is It?_

**C.P.O.V**

Poot was all over me only a mere five seconds after his ass made contact with the leather seat of the limousine for the first time.

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOURSELF IS MORE LIKE IT!" I countered back with as much moxie as I could, all while trying to beat him off with a wine bottle opener; one I had not so subtlety snatched out of his hands as he tried to pry open a champagne bottle. And that's how we had landed up on the floor of the car, rolling around and arguing (pretty much having the equivalent of a cat fight, only there's a gay instead of the opposing girl) much to Collin and Kev's amusement.

"HEY, HEY, HEY!" I screeched as Poot began taking cheap chest shots; I barely had enough cleavage anyways and here was trying to juice it like some kind of orange.

This was where Kev intervened, along with a reluctant Collin.

That sadist.

"Poot, hun, why don't we all just calm down? We'll be at the reception hall any moment and we can't have you looking like a crazed man, can we?" My lungs expanded gratefully as the dead weight of my best friend's body was lifted off of me and forced onto the seat next to his newly acquired husband.

I glared daggers and peeked down to make sure I still had some sort of rack.

"You brought this on yourself." I huffed, re-arranging myself and practically crawling onto the seat next to Collin, who was trying (and failing miserably) not to laugh; that was okay though…the boy was about to get his comeuppance.

Oh yes.

"How, pray tell me, did I do this to myself?" Poot cried, pointing a finger at this still hard-as-a-helmet hair.

"Hey!" I defended, knowing full well my words were about to bring on another round of fireworks, "What you got right there is a helluva lot better than what you looked like after you dumped the bleach in it!"

How I said those words with a straight face I'll never know.

And that's why we, as in Poot and I, ended up falling out of the limo in a mass of tangled limbs and screaming as the driver opened the door to the beautifully laid out ocean teal carpet leading up to main doors of the reception hall.

I really hope someone got it on film.

I frowned at the mass of people before me.

I don't think I've ever seen quite this many people in one place before, save for the beach and Wal-Mart, but even then they were spread out and not all herded into a single area.

This was crazy.

Somewhere, somehow, over the din of the noise I could hear Poot laughing, and sure enough, when the crowd managed to part like the Red Sea for a fleeting moment, I could see him standing hand in hand with Kev, complete with a wine glass filled almost to the brim.

At least he'd stop assaulting me now.

I frowned again and shuffled to the side as another fat man came my way, his eyes obviously telling me he wasn't just marveling the view from the window behind me, but rather the view my reception dress offered.

Poot just couldn't contain himself when it came to dressing me up.

I looked down at the crème colored creation; complete with sequins and beads, and felt slightly better it wasn't strapless or see through.

We had had a long debate about the latter.

Just as Fatty was getting closer I was saved by a passing waiter, one thankfully tall enough for me to fall into step with without anyone seeing me at his side. He only glanced down at me briefly, seemingly knowing what I was doing, before detouring to make another round around the room.

I flipped him off as I realized he had only gotten me halfway to the kitchen.

Damn him.

I forced smiles to the people who milled around me; I honestly had no clue who these people were. I couldn't even find any familiar locals from the island in this place. One lady, small and blonde with an obvious boob job, complemented me on my dress, only to say that it would have looked better on her as I turned my back.

I took all I had not to flip her off, too.

After the run in with her, I forced my way to the kitchen and practically fell through the double doors in my haste to get away from the inside milling mass. No one blinked an eye as I shuffled my way through the various going-ons of the cooks and servers, and I slipped out the backdoor just like that.

It was beautiful out.

Full moon, cool breeze, not too hot.

Perfect, really.

I wandered down the small loading deck and out across the parking lot, coming to the lesser extravagant section of patios. The chaise lounges weren't as padded as the main ones, and the tables were smaller and a little bit more worse for wear, but that didn't mean they weren't comfortable. I lowered myself onto the closet one, relishing in the silence of the night and the soft glow of the ambient lighting from the pool.

I sighed and slid down even further into bliss.

"Enjoying ourself, are we?" I jumped at Collin's voice, sitting up and turning in the direction I thought I heard it come from.

"Go do something." I waved him off, or at least I thought it was him; who knew, maybe he was on the other side of me. Since when was he such a shadow lurker?

"Why?"

"Why?" I parroted, laying back down and gazing up at the stars. "Because I'm still mad at you for earlier; for getting me into this mess and making my life worse."

"Ah."

"Is that all you have to say? 'Ah'?" I asked, sitting back up with a new rush of anger. "You blow up and tell me I ruined 'the plan' and that Seth broke up with me over some vampire war and that he imprinted on me and all this other shit and you can't even own up to it?" I was standing now, my legs shaking from adrenaline and also from where they were trying to balance in my precariously tall heels. Collin stepped out further from the shadows and…wait…

No.

This wasn't Collin.

I took a step back as the person came closer and felt my heart stop at the sight of him.

"EMBRY CALL YOU BETTER HAVE A FUCKIN' GOOD REASON FOR BEING HERE RIGHT NOW!" Embry laughed, his hands jiggling in the pockets of his dress pants. He shook his head as he approached closer, all while smile like some kind of damn maniac.

"Never knew Collin had that kind of temper." He splayed out across the lounger I had just abandoned and crossed his legs and relaxed his hands behind his head, seemingly unfazed that I was practically on the verge of hyperventilating. He let out a boom of laughter and settled himself further as I stumbled backwards, knocking into a chair.

"God, I've missed ya Cee." He fixed me with a long, even look; one I couldn't quite figure out as I stared back.

It felt like a lifetime before I finally pulled my shit together and looked away.

"You…stay away from me." I ground out as I turned tail and fled, Embry's laughter following me all the way across the parking lot and up the ramp to the kitchen where I flew inside as though zombies were after me.

Once again no one even glanced my way as I stumbled back towards the reception, the whole time trying frantically to fix my hair and dress and just…everything. The perfect little shell I had created for myself ever since coming back had cracked with the simple presence of one Embry Call.

I knew he'd be the death of me someday.

I forced myself into a line of waiters entering the ballroom and stumbled back out into the fray, searching high and low for any sort of sign for Poot, Kev, or even Collin at this point.

He seemed to be my safe house when it came to dealing with the people from back _there_.

I was only midway through my sweeping of the room when I saw the head of thick, inky black hair, praising the almighty as I shoved my way over as politely as I could. Just as I broke through the last wall of people did I grab his arm, only to stop and stumble backwards in shock yet again.

Sam gently smiled down at me.

"Caroline! Great to see you!" He advanced slowly, seemingly knowing that I was skittish beyond all reason and that even the slightest movement when send me spazzing. I stepped back even further and collided with another person, causing me turning to turn around instantly and apologize before seeing that it was a waiter.

A waiter with a tray of shot glasses.

Without thinking I grabbed the first one my hand touched and downed it like a seasoned pro, earning a low whistle from the waiter as I choked and coughed while slamming the glass back onto this tray.

"Wha…what…?" I tried to ask through the choking and gestured at his tray. He smirked and nodded his head as though he was giving his approval.

"Straight liquor, sistah, and you definitely know how ta do it!" He laughed as he started off again, leaving me behind to fend for myself.

It was then that I learned three things: one, liquor wasn't so bad (I could already feel the edge coming off…wow), two, so that's where the locals went…Poot had them employed as temporary slaves, and three, I was still completely and utterly fucked.

Dammit.

I turned around slowly, seemingly thinking that if I moved slow enough things would snap back to normal as though the past fifteen minutes had never happened.

I was highly disappointed.

Sam was looking at me with an expression of worry and amusement – a helluva combo. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but thought better of it, and instead offered out his arm, expecting me to take it.

"Nu uh…no…" I mumbled, shaking my head as I melted into the wall of people behind me and disappeared faster than Sam could grab at me. I turned blindly and instead of forcing my way through the throngs of partygoers I just drifted with them as though caught in a current. Before I knew I was on the opposite side of the room, just about to make a break for the main doors when I stopped in my tracks.

Leah was standing guard off to the side, looking highly uncomfortable in a dress and heels, though slightly amused as a man twice her age attempted to hit on her. I disappeared before she could spot me and plucked another shot glass off a passing tray, downing this one with as much gusto as the last. The waiter, who I recognized to be the same as before, once again hooted in laughter and nodded in approval. I followed loosely behind him, feeling slightly sluggish and not as high strung, though still slightly antsy.

Was I well on my way to becoming drunk? Or an alcoholic?

I tripped over someone's foot and actually laughed as I stopped to apologize and conversed for a few moments, no longer caring who I was with or what I was doing. I stayed with the small group of people before getting caught up once again in the current and migrated my way towards the bathroom, stopping a few feet shy as I saw yet another La Push native.

It took me a few guesses to figure out who this one was before I realized it was Emily.

God…how could I forget those scars?

She was stationed outside the ladies room, chatting politely with a few other women, though she was definitely on the lookout for me.

God, what was this? Some sort of James Bond movie?

I laughed slightly at the thought and plucked two more shots from a passing waiter – not my usual – and downed them, disposing of the glasses on the nearest surface, which happened to be the buffet table.

My mouth watered unnaturally at the sight laid out before me.

I meandered down the length of the table, picking up tid-bits as I went, all while furthering myself from the restroom area. It was while I was stopped at a plate of mini eggrolls that I felt a presence hovering behind me and braced myself for the worst as I turned to find, to much relief, Kev.

His cheeks were rosy, a tell tale sign that he was enjoying himself, but not enough to actually be considered drunk…or even buzzed for that matter.

Party pooper.

He stared at me for a long while before finally stepping up right in front of me and leaning in closer.

"Caroline…have you been drinking?" He asked point blankly, still watching me like a hawk.

"…no…" I feigned innocence, all while trying to stuff another eggroll into my mouth, only to bite half of it off where it fell down into my dress. I giggled and shimmied around a bit, trying to wiggle it out and felt it tickle past my stomach and then drop to the floor as it exited the bottom of my dress.

It looked like I had just shit Chinese food.

I couldn't help myself and exploded with laughter, right in Kev's face where he made frowned at me and fanned at the air between us.

"How many shots have you had, Caroline?" He asked sternly, moving in closer to take my elbow as I wobbled slightly in thought.

"Three…?" I guessed roughly with a face. "Four? Yeah…four I think…four…" Kev sighed and shook his head before gently tugging me along with him as he set out into the fray. I didn't protest until someone (a colleague maybe?) stopped to congratulate him and he hastily accepted it, all while watching me to make sure I wouldn't trip. The two conversed quickly for a few seconds before Kev shoo-ed him off and began towing me with him.

I stopped him after a few steps, pulling my arm from his loose grasp.

"Kev…" I sighed, not meeting his eye, "this is your wedding. Go enjoy it. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I've already fucked up the ceremony and don't want to ruin this too, so please, let me self destruct and go talk to your people." He looked like he wanted to argue, but contained himself as I held up a slightly wobbly hand. "Please," I urged, "go have fun."

He gave me a small smile before stepping closer to give me a quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing to resume his mingling.

I hoped he wouldn't tell Poot.

I ran a hand over my face where I stood and unconsciously reached for another shot as they came back around, this time by a female waitress I hadn't seen before. She gave me an odd look as I grabbed two and downed them before she could even walk away; her mouth gaping slightly as I sloppily placed one of the glasses on her tray. It was just as I was about to place the other one next to its twin that I felt it, full force.

Like a bullet to the head.

_That feeling. _

I clutched at my chest with my free hand, my other tightening around the glass until my knuckles were burning white. The waitress simply rolled her eyes, probably assuming I was one of those psycho drunks and walked away without even asking if I was alright. I tried to call after her, but nothing came out when I opened my mouth, the sound dying before it could even be produced. My shoulders hunched forwards as another sharp pull stabbed at my chest and I felt myself gasp as the imaginary string attached to my sternum grew even tauter with each passing second. My nails dug into the skin exposed by my swooped neckline and I briefly registered the fact that something warm was seeping out around my fingertips. I gasped again as another sharp pull almost brought me to my knees and I looked up, suddenly aware that someone was staring point blankly at me.

It didn't take long to find them.

There, only a few paces away, was _him_.

_Seth Clearwater._

He was staring at me with such intensity that I almost forgot how to breathe.

He took a step forward, still watching me so intently that it almost hurt, and another pain erupted in my chest. The shot glass slipped from my fingers and shattered upon impact with the floor. Shards jumped up at my ankles before crashing back down, their magical chimes seemingly only heard by me.

No one noticed.

Seth took another step closer, then another, and another, and before I knew it, I was spinning on the spot and pushing strangers out of my way as I bolted for the large wall of bay windows, fighting my way towards the door.

I needed some air.

* * *

The deck at the end of the pier wasn't as nice as it looked from the beach; I was slightly disappointed.

Sure, it had a roof and railings, but up close it lacked the beauty and appeal it held when viewed from a distance. The wood was soft and mildewed from the constant mist of ocean spray and creaked every time you stepped somewhere. There were bird nests in the support beams and spider webs between the railings; it definitely wasn't romantic.

I was actually expecting it to collapse any minute now and send me plunging down the deadly five feet it took to reach the water.

It was tired, messed up, worn out, and just _done_.

Like me.

I groaned and leaned further over the rail, expecting my stomach to send forth another amazing show of vomiting that had me wrinkling my nose in disgust.

I felt sorry for the fishes below.

I burped once, waited a few seconds before realizing that nothing else was going to come out, and turned around, leaning back and resting on my elbows.

I closed my eyes, trying in vain to erase what had just happened.

Seth Clearwater was _here_.

In _Hawaii_.

At Poot's _wedding_.

Talk about some sobering facts.

I spit off to the side, cringing at the bile left in my mouth, and stared down at my toes, still covered in sand and splintered beyond belief.

I didn't remember much about my frantic run from the ballroom and across the beach to get where I was, but did know that somewhere along the way I had kicked off my shoes, ran into a closed umbrella, and somehow managed to _not_ get blood on my dress.

That's what I called talent.

I burped again, this time spinning around so as not to spray the deck with my bodily fluids and cat-clawed the railing as I threw up once again.

Liquor went down smoother than it came up, apparently.

I spit out all I could and wiped at my mouth with the back of my hand before groaning as a headache began to bubble its way up behind my eyeballs. I rubbed at my forehead and turned around as slowly as I could manage, not quite liking how the world was seemingly revolving faster than it should be.

I stopped when I saw him.

He was just standing there, hands in his pockets, face blank of any real emotion, and eyeing me with that unreadable look I loved to hate. Neither of us said anything and I briefly registered that my shoes were now resting on the railing behind him; he must have found them. We stared at each other for a few minutes, something I would have found funny a while ago, but now found more annoying than hell.

"Spit it out!" I commanded, the rasp to my voice only making it sound harsher than I had intended; maybe that was good.

Maybe it'd help speed this along.

"What do you want me to say?" He eventually asked with an almost imperceptible shrug, like he really had no clue.

"You're not a smartass or an idiot, so cut the shit. You know what I mean." Was it just me or did the corners of his mouth just twitch upwards ever so slightly?

"I'm sorry."

"Whoop-de fuckin' doo!" I practically snarled as I reached back to grab onto the rail as I wobbled slightly; I wasn't even wearing heels for god's sake!

"You're drunk Caroline." He stated, moving as if to take a step closer before I glared at him so mightily he stopped.

"Am not!" I snapped, my grip tightening on the railing. "Well…I was until you showed up; god knows you're the biggest buzzkill ever! The feds should just bottle you up and send you to AA meetings; anyone would quit drinking after just the mere sight of you!" I closed my eyes as my vision began to swim slightly, forcing myself not to show weakness in front of him.

"You _are_ drunk, Caroline, so you can save whatever little tirade you got forming in that head of yours until tomorrow." He reasoned, reaching out to offer a hand to me so as he could walk me back to the party.

"Fuck you." He stared at me wordlessly, shock showing on his face; I had never said it so directly to him before. "You think you can just show up here and expect me to come crawling back to you? That I can just forgive everything you said to me that day on the beach? That I can just pretend you didn't lie to me and that I had to find out everything from Collin?" He retracted his hand, obviously hurt by my words. "What did you really come here for Seth? We're over."

He bit his lip and became suddenly interested in the floor, seemingly trying to collect his thoughts. I kept my death grip on the rail and was almost bowled over when he finally looked up at me with so much emotion in his eyes the ocean looked seemed like a mere kiddie pool in comparison.

"I love you." At this the string in my chest gave a jolting snap as whatever breath I was holding whooshed out and I stumbled back into the rail, now grabbing on with both hands as if my life depended on it. Seth rushed forwards; obviously thinking it would help, but only made matters worse.

"DO. NOT. TOUCH. ME." His hand ceased its action and dropped down lifelessly next to him as he backed away, giving me space. I kept my gaze locked firmly on the wood below me, absolutely refusing to look anywhere else.

"Cee, please…"

"Why'd you do it?" I asked, my mind slipping from its boozed haze and rushing into overdrive so as to make sense of what was actually going on.

"Do what?"

"You know what I'm talking about." I knew for fact he did; his silence proved it.

"Carlisle's son, Edward, got his…wife…pregnant before he could change her—"

"—into a vampire."

"Yes, into a vampire. He got her pregnant and she gave birth; the baby's half and half. The Volturi, they're like the kings of the vampires, found out and wanted to destroy it."

"They came to La Push?"

"Forks, but the two are very close. We offered to help the Cullens save the baby."

"Why?"

"Because Jake…he…"

"_Why?_"

"Because Jake imprinted on it." I bit my tongue at this, refusing to show my shock as that word came up once again. Collin had let it slip before, and now here it was, staring me right in the face, begging to be addressed.

Moment of truth.

"He _what_?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. I'm surprised he heard me at all, really.

"It's a part of our culture – our legends."

"It's real?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Every werewolf, without realizing it, has a soul mate, someone they're destined to be with."

"That's stupid."

"No it isn't."

"Yes, it is."

"Do you want me to explain or not?"

"Fine." I snapped, squeezing my eyes shut and bracing for impact.

"Each us of us has one, they're called an Imprint. We have no clue who they are, where they are, or that they even exist until we see them. It's instantaneous."

"How?"

"How do we know?"

"Yes."

"You look at them and you just know; know that you're meant to spend your life with them and that you'd do anything for them." At this I looked up, my face crafted expertly into a neutral expression.

"So you're stuck with them? Forever?"

"That's a good thing."

"How? You're permanently glued to someone you don't know until you meet. What if they don't like you?"

"That's the thing; they do know."

"How?"

"Because it's like a puzzle; everything fits together even though it sometimes doesn't seem like it. You have to work it at, figure it out. In the end everything fits together just right. You just know. _You feel it_." At this I moved a hand from the railing to ghost across my chest, the burning and itching feeling gone; the feeling of being pulled in a random nonexistent.

"You can feel it." Seth stated gently and I knew he was watching me. "That's why Collin came here; to watch out for you."

"Why?"

"Because I knew you'd feel it; feel the pull between us."

"So you mean…?"

"Yes."

"We're…"

"You're my Imprint Caroline. Ever since I saw you running through the forest the first time you went to the beach. I wasn't sure at right away, but after talking with you, seeing you smile, I knew for certain. You were the one I was waiting for."

"And you're…okay with that?" I asked, looking away as my brows pulled together. "You're okay with having to spend your life being forced to…love me?"

"I'm not being forced!" Seth suddenly burst out as he stepped even closer and lifted his hand so as his fingertips ghosted across my arm. "It could never be forced." He murmured with a sigh as he retracted his hand.

"But what about what you said to me? What you did to me at the beach?" I exclaimed, whirling around to face him and clearly taking him by surprise.

"I didn't mean it! Any of it!"

"You told me that I didn't trust you!"

"I know, but—"

"You went through my room, behind my back!"

"Yes—"

"You called me a drama queen!"

"I—"

"You told me I was sick! _Unhealthy_! YOU TOLD ME TO GET HELP!"

"I kno—"

"YOU WANTED ME TO CHANGE!" I screamed, my voice flooding out over the ocean where it became lost in the dull roar of low tide. I was panting now, looking Seth dead in the eye, daring him to contradict me. He stared back with what could only be regret and pain on his face.

"I know…" He mumbled, his lips barely moving, "and I really am sorry. I was just doing what I thought would be best for you." I snorted at this, hoping and praying it made him feel even more like shit.

"Yeah…that worked out _so_ well."

"At least lemme explain. Please?" I glared at him, giving him silent permission to grovel as much as he wanted. He picked up on this and wasted no time, his mouth moving a mile a minute.

"When we found out the Volturi were coming I knew I had to get you outta there because I knew you weren't comfortable with the werewolf thing, and especially with the vampire stuff, so I figured it'd be best to lie to you. To make you want to leave be—"

"Did you ever think to just tell me? Explain to me what was going on? Did that ever cross your mind?"

"Yes, but I thought you wouldn't listen and would want to stay with us even though we couldn't guarantee your safety! You don't mess around with these vulture things; they kill people like fish breathe air! It's the only thing they know how to do!"

"I don't care! It's the fact you couldn't trust me enough to tell me to my face and instead thought it'd be better to beat me down and make me feel worthless!"

"I never wanted it to go that far, really, I didn't! You're just so hard to figure out, so I knew it had to be convincing or I'd never get you to leave!"

"Yeah, well you got your wish! I'm outta you hair and I plan on staying that way." And with that I pushed off from the rail, proud of myself for not stumbling or staggering and moved to pick up my shoes with as much dignity as I had left.

Seth wasted no time in jumping on front of me, his face full of pure regret and sincerity.

"Please, Caroline, just hear me out, please! I never wanted it to go this way; it was supposed to be simpler than this." He admitted, everything about him – from his face to his body language – was pleading with me to just understand him. I gave him one long, last withering look and pushed past him, stopping only briefly to pull myself together.

"You should by now Seth," I said more to myself than to him, though I knew full well he could hear me, "life with me isn't easy. You said so yourself." And with I started down the small stretch of pier leading back to the beach, the hot tears that I had been trying so damn hard to hide finally spilling out and streaking angrily down my cheeks.

His voice rang out behind me, barely understandable as the breeze carried it away, but the sentiment was still there.

_"But I love you." _

_

* * *

_

_Well here it guys, the pre-finale chapter. Thanks to all who have stuck with me through it all; you're all very much appreicated!_

_And on a rather random not I would like to add this: Dear FanFiction, you suck. You wouldn't let me un-italicise this note and refused to let me put it in bold, and rather put everything else in bold AND also centered it. Thanks for wasting 10 minutes of my time trying to fix everything. I can feel the love. :(_


	31. Chapter 30

_**When the Wind Blows**_

_**~Chapter 30~**_

_**If I Was Taylor Swift I'd Write A Song About This**_

**C.P.O.V**

It took all I had to get out of bed the next morning.

I knew for a fact that my eyes were still red rimmed from all the crying and that the inside of my eyelids felt like sandpaper.

I was disgusting.

I showered for longer than usual, refusing to cry even though no one could see, and got dressed without really seeing what I was putting on. I eventually dragged myself out towards the kitchen an hour later and stopped in the doorway, not quite sure as to what was going on.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my gaze flicking back and forth worriedly between Poot and Kev.

"We decided to leave a day later, figured you might need us." Poot said as he slid from his barstool and pulled be into an unusually gentle hug. I sighed into his shoulder and tried to hold myself together.

"You shouldn't be here. You need to leave. Now." I ordered weakly, causing Poot to laugh and kiss the top of my head. He released me and towed me along to the table where he pushed me down into a chair and left me to get a cup of coffee.

"Collin's gone," Kev explained lightly from his position by the stove, "he left last night along with the others."

"Oh…"

"He…" I looked up in time to see the look shared between the two men.

"He what?" I asked, not really sure if I wanted to hear everything they had to say.

"He told us everything." Poot stated firmly as he sat down across from me and pushed an oversized mug into my hand. I attempted a smile for him and almost broke out into a new wave of tears as I looked at him for the first time that morning.

"I really am sorry about your hair." My voice was thick and close to breaking, something he must have picked up on because he reached out for my free hand.

"It's fine, babe, don't worry about. We can color it before we leave." He said soothingly while massaging my palm with his thumb. I nodded the best I could and stared down at my steaming cup of caffeine. I heard Kev shuffling around on the other side of the bar and didn't even realize he wasn't cooking anymore until he was falling into place right beside me.

"We know you've been through a lot, Caroline, but we're here for you. We didn't want to leave knowing you were upset and alone." He explained gently as a hand rubbed at my back.

"I'm fine, you guys, really." I lied even though I couldn't even believe myself. "…really."

"We know that, but it's better to be safer than sorry, right?" I bit my lip at Poot's words and reached up to run a hand through my hair, wincing as it fought through knots and tangles.

I hadn't combed it after my shower.

"Thanks…for everything." I tried to smile, my vision blurring as I looked back and forth between the two best guys in the world.

"Don't thank us," Poot shook his head as he gave my hand a gentle squeeze, "you never have to thank us for anything."

"We're glad to help out anyway we can, especially now that we know…stuff." Kev finished lamely. I felt his pain; I could only begin to imagine how they reacted to Collin's news.

"So you know…everything? Like _every_ everything?" The large pink and purple polka dotted giraffe-elephant hybrid in the room needed to be addressed.

"_Every_-everything." Poot clarified with a nod and frown.

"I bet that made ya'll flip your shit. Did you ask for a demonstration?" I asked, quirking a brow and shaking my head at the memory of that one time in the forest.

"No, we didn't ask for proof, but it did take us a while to actually believe them. We accepted it because we figured we're gay and just got married, so anything is possible, really." I actually gave a small laugh at this and looked up to find Poot with a cheesy ass grin on his face. Kev rolled his eyes and rubbed at my arm.

"We talked about it after they left and we've decided to support whatever you plan to do, even though we understand each side of the case, but we're completely siding with you for this." I smiled at him in thanks before realizing something was wrong.

"Where was I during all this?" At this Poot exploded with laughter and even Kev gave a few hearty chuckles.

"You, my dear lil' Pufferfish, were passed out underneath the coffee table with a bag of marshmallows and a bottle of wine when we got home!" Poot smacked at the table, obviously enjoying my misery.

"You mean I drank even more?" I whined, head-desking onto the table in disbelief. It really did nothing to help the headache that was already forming since I had gotten out of bed.

"Oh my god yes!" Poot continued to laugh while Kev just smiled and got up from his seat. "Never knew my bitch could hold her liquor so well!" I groaned in annoyance; Kev had obviously told Poot about finding me during the party. "And I think for the time being we'll keep you away from eggrolls, too!" Poot snorted, plunging me even deeper into the shame I was already drowning in.

It was right then and there that I vowed to never drink again.

Ever.

I listened to Poot carry on with his cheap shots, not really feeling up to it to reach across the table and smack him. I didn't regret anything I did last night, but instead felt rather proud of myself for holding my ground when the opposing force was just so…I dunno. Strong? Powerful?

Seth?

I closed my eyes and tried to find a label for it, but nothing I came up with could even come close to describing it. There just simply wasn't a name for it; never would be, either.

"So Caroline," I heard Kev over Poot's laughter and jokes, "what are you going to do?" At this the laughter ceased and even the walls around us seemed to hold their breath in anticipation. I pulled myself up straight and shrugged, fingering at my mug handle.

"I don't know…" I admitted before taking a sip, relishing as the black liquid burned and tingled all the way down.

"Do you love him?" Poot blurted out suddenly, his gaze soft yet intense as he stared me. I stared back for the longest of moments before looking over at Kev only to find him with a similar expression on his face.

I shrugged and gazed out the open set of doors leading to the back deck.

_Do I love him?_

**S.P.O.V**

I knew exactly what mom was doing by the smell.

She was making waffles…or attempting to, anyways.

I burrowed deeper into the covers as the smell grew stronger and tried to pretend that the world just didn't exist.

How could it after the past twenty four hours?

How could one person have so much hope, happiness, stress, depression and heart break in one day?

It just didn't seem possible.

The burning smell grew stronger and I peeked a glance at the clock – three forty in the afternoon. I frowned and rolled over, hoping I could at least try to go back to sleep before mom came up asking me how I was doing. She had, of course, interrogated me last night when we finally rolled in after the drive down from Seattle, and when she saw that Caroline wasn't with us she totally flipped out. Embry and Sam explained everything to her while she fussed over Collin, checking every inch of him as though making sure he hadn't been returned to us damaged. Leah and Emily helped make dinner and we ate in silence, each of us lost in our own little world as we processed everything that had just happened.

I had been the first one to leave; going upstairs at only seven o'clock and not re-appearing ever since. I heard Leah and mom follow shortly after.

I groaned as the house was suddenly filled with the earsplitting screams of the smoke detectors and knew that mom had definitely brought out her A-game.

Only very rarely did she do that.

I fought my way out of the sheets and comforter and stumbled out into the hall just as Leah was peeking her head out of her room, a grimace on her face. She looked at me for a long second, seemingly trying to decide something I couldn't tell, before she fully emerged and brushed past me down the stairs.

The smoke detectors died moments later.

I took my time going down stairs and when I finally rounded the corner I found my sister on a stool with a magazine, fanning at the ceiling as she smiled down at our mother.

"Mornin' mom." I greeted while still watching Leah fan out the room.

"Don't you mean 'afternoon'?" She grinned as she turned off the stove and moved the smoking skillet to the sink. From where I sat I could see the burnt remains of…something. I watched in slight amusement as she struggled to use the spatula to scrape off whatever it was she had been attempting to make.

I was still pretty sure it was waffles.

"Lemme do that." I said while getting up, only to stop as the back door exploded open and Leah almost fell of the stool and mom dropped the pan into the sink. The three of us stared at Embry, all used to his normal freak outs, but this, right here…well this was unusual, even for him. Leah was still perched on her stool, her glare clearly conveying 'what the fuck?' to my friend. Mom had moved over to him worriedly, guiding him to a seat at the bar.

"What?" I asked stupidly, not able to have made anything out his inane run-on sentence. Embry's hands flailed around for a few seconds while random words flew out of his mouth too quickly for any of us to catch. It wasn't until Leah smacked him sharply on the back of his head that he came to his sentences and stared at me.

It was really freaky.

"You need to go to the beach. Right now." He commanded, pushing himself up to stand despite mom's protests that he really should just calm down.

"Now! Go!" He grabbed at me and started towards the foyer.

"What the hell man?" I struggled against him as he flung open the front door and pushed me out and down the stairs.

"Just go to the beach! Now! Run!" He waved me off as my mother and sister popped their heads out the door to stare at me; they seemed to be equally confused. I looked back at Embry, wondering just what the hell he was on.

"No!" He ordered just as I opened my mouth. "Just go to the beach! RUN!" He charged at me, forcing me across the yard where I broke out into a jog as I disappeared into the woods.

"RUN FASTER DAMMIT!" I picked up my pace at his words, not even caring that I didn't have shoes on.

Apparently I had to get to the beach.

* * *

**C.P.O.V**

I watched the waves gently lap at the shore, the glint of the evening sun shining weakly on the small crests as they peaked before crashing down. In many ways the ocean was exactly like people; mood swings, moments of power, moments of weakness, and too many things pushing and pulling in opposing directions.

Too many things moving in the same direction.

I frowned and lazily traced the horizon with my eyes in what felt like the millionth time; I was pretty sure it was going to get pregnant from all the eye raping I was doing. Growing up my whole life I had always been near the ocean; it was really the closet family member I had left besides dad. It was always there; day and night, didn't give lip, and seemed to somehow always reflect what I feeling.

I wondered if there was someone else who could do that, but also much more.

* * *

**S.P.O.V**

Even though my body had halted to a dead stop my heart apparently didn't get the memo as it seemingly flew out of my chest before snapping right back as though it were a yo-yo. My lungs screamed in protest as I held my breath and stared, just simply stared, out across the beach.

No fucking way.

I exhaled as I stepped out from the wall of trees and stood dumbfounded, not quite sure if this was real or a dream. I took a hesitant step forwards, scared that it would all disappear in a flash and I would wake up back in my room with mom's god awful waffles for company. When nothing changed except the direction of the slight breeze, I knew for sure this was real.

This was really happening.

I took another step, then another and another and before long I was sprinting down the beach, my arms pumping so fast I felt like some kind of machine on overdrive. I slowed to a stop a few healthy feet away, breathing hard as I stared, still not able to make sense out of it.

Caroline.

She was staring out at the ocean, her face one of neutral openness as her hands rested loosely at her hips.

"Hey." If I hadn't actually seen her lips move I was sure I would have thought I was hearing things.

"Hey." I panted back, rubbing at the small stitch in my side. She didn't look at me and was quiet for a few moments, clearly thinking about what she wanted to say.

"Did you mean it? Everything you told me in Hawaii? Every single word?" Her voice gave me no clue as to what she was feeling and I swallowed before answering, hoping for the best.

"Yes."

"You didn't trust me."

"I know."

"You lied to me."

"I know."

"_You purposefully broke my heart._"

"I know."

"You love me." I stood up straighter as she looked at me, moving her hands from her hips so as to cross her arms across her chest. She was waiting for an answer.

"Like the wind blows." I confirmed, meeting her even gaze and wondering what all was about to happen.

Her being here had to be good, right?

RIGHT?

"I'm your Imprint." She quirked a brow, the word floating out of her mouth effortlessly; if she was uncomfortable using it she didn't show it, causing me to envy her coolness.

"Yes."

"And you're alright with that? You're willing to just settle for me for the rest of your life and not wonder if there's someone better out there?" She shook her head at this, a frown marring her features as she simply stared, almost like she was pitying me. I met her gaze and took a few solid steps forward, coming up face to face with her.

We were almost touching.

"Why do you think I'm not happy being with you?" I asked gently with drawn brows. She remained quiet and just looked at me, her eyes telling me all I needed to know. "I didn't mean anything I said to you that day; I was hating myself every single time I opened my mouth."

"Yeah, well..." She sighed, finally diverting her gaze to the sand down below us, making me just want to reach out and grab her and never let go.

"I don't hate having you as my Imprint because I know that I could search my whole life and never find someone made as perfectly for me as you are. I'm supposed to walk this world with one other person, Caroline, and that person is you."

"Honestly?"

"Honestly." I smiled even though she couldn't see. My fingers were itching to just reach out and touch her, to hold her close, but I forced myself to wait until she have me the go-ahead.

I couldn't blow this.

I waited with baited breath as she shifted where she stood and eventually looked up at me, tears trailing slowly down her cheeks. She held my gaze for a few long seconds before smiling slightly with a shake of her head. I exhaled everything I had been holding in and smiled as she uncrossed her arms, looking as though she was about to just jump me with a hug.

Boy was I wrong.

Before I could even begin to register what she was doing her hand had darted into her hoodie pocket to grab something, which I found out to be an egg (fresh out of fridge at that) as she cracked it right on my forehead. I could feel the shell cracking against my skin and the yolk running slowly down my face and into the corners of my mouth.

"That's for lying." Caroline stated with a smile on her face before she cracked another one on me. "That's for breaking my heart." I squeezed my eyes shut even tighter and waited for the impact of a third egg, forcing myself to take whatever she wanted to dish out.

I deserved it.

"And this…" I felt her move closer, wondering just what the hell she about to do when I felt it; my heart leaping into my throat as I realized her arms were around my neck and that her lips were pressing against mine. My arms moved with minds of their own to snake around her waist, pulling her as close as humanly possible. I kissed back with as much gusto as I could and relished in the feeling of having my Imprint so close to me for the first time since I had forced her to leave.

We stood there for what felt like a lifetime before she pulled away, forcing me to loosen my hold as she leaned back to look up at me, a devilish smirk playing across her lips.

"And that…well, that was because I love you." I stared at her in shock, my mouth gaping open and shut so fast my lips actually made a light popping sound. She simply quirked a brow and moved a hand up to my face, cupping my cheek so as to keep my mouth shut as I continued to stare at her.

"Do you want me to _not_ love you?" She teased lightly, her brow rising steadily higher as she cocked her head to the side in question.

"I, uh, muh, a-and…yu…" I trailed off as she laughed and her hand moved up to fist in my yolk drenched hair, pulling me down closer as she leaned in.

"I'll take that as a 'no'." She smirked again before closing the gap between us with another kiss that had me seeing stars on the insides of my eyelids. My arms gripped her tighter and without warning I heaved her up into a hug, her startled laugh ringing out across the beach.

"That's a 'hell no'. Give me everything you got, Caroline; I'm ready." She laughed as I sat her back down and pulled her into another kiss, my hands moving up cup her jaw on either side.

God was I ready.

* * *

A/N: Well guys, here we are: the ending at last! I'd like to thank EVERYONE who has read this from the beginning and left comments and reviews along the way; there truly are so many of you I can't even begin to list you all out! Sorry for all the bumps and gaps along the way, but as expected, life doesn't always go the way we plan. Writing this has truly been one of the best experiences of my life thus far and I can't wait to do more (hint-hint!). So keep a weathered eye out, folks; you never know what'll blow in. Thanks again for all the love and support!

IN MEMORY OF CHESSIE  
1994 - 2010


	32. Epilogue

**_OH MY GOD YOU GUYS! Your responses have been so incredibly heartwarming and awesome that I couldn't help myself and just HAD to do an epilogue. Hopefully this will add a bit more closure and just nicely finalize everything. _**

**_For those of you asking about a sequel hear this: I have played around with the idea, but can honestly say nothing's going to happen. I feel like anything from this point on would be too weird and unoriginal that it would just be crappy, so sorry for all you there hoping for some more action!_**

**_I can say, though, that more stuff is on the way so keep an eye out! Thanks again for all your reviews and comments - they're truly incredible! Who knew something that started out as a random non-Twilight related drabble could end up as this? Oh the mysteries of life! _**

_**When the Wind Blows**_

_** Epilogue**_

_** Life's Like The Horizon - It Just Keeps On Going**_

_**C.P.O.V**_

"So you got that mailed off?"

"Yup."

"Great, so remember to update the main info boa—"

"Poot! I know! I got this!" I laughed as Poot frowned at me from his end of our Skype date. Behind him I could see out the open kitchen doors to where the palm trees were swaying in the breeze. For the briefest of seconds I had the smallest sense of homesickness until he snorted in disbelief, effectively jerking me back into business.

"Yeah, Cee, you really got this; did you just hear anything I said?"

"Nope," I smiled, just because I knew it'd get him, "not a word!" He sighed in exasperation and immediately set to work typing out something; I could his keys clacking annoyingly through the speakers. I didn't need to ask to know what he was doing; typing up a summary of everything we'd just discussed so as he could mail it to me when I frantically called him at 3 am wondering what the hell I was supposed to do in four hours.

God save the gays of the world.

I was about to make some witty retort only to have it die on my tongue as I heard the front door click open and closed. I smiled to myself and told Poot I'd be right back even though he wasn't even listening. I navigated through the connected living room and popped around the corner just as Seth was slipping off his shoes. I smiled as he pulled a beanie from his head and hung his coat on the wall, his backpack falling unceremoniously to the floor.

It was moments like these when I knew he wasn't watching that I loved the most; there was just something so personal about them. I think it was because of the fact that I could call them mine; no one else ever could or would get to experience life with Seth Clearwater like I have. Ever since that day on the beach a year ago when he had finally come clean about everything – and I do mean _everything_ – life had never been so blissfully simple.

The days following had, of course, been slightly awkward and clumsy, but after some serious talking and working through of things, it was as though nothing had even happened. The Cullens and Quileutes seemed to be on better terms than they had in the past century and Poot and Kev got their honeymoon. I spent the rest of the summer hanging around the reservation with Seth and the others and found out (much to my surprise) that I had a musician on my hands.

That's right.

Seth could play the guitar.

And sing…not very good, but still.

It was pretty damn hot.

What was an even bigger surprise than this, however, was when I found the University of Washington letter in my mailbox, the opening lines simply reading '_Congratulations!'. _Later I was told that I had screamed so loud that Carlisle could hear me up at the hospital, but I digress. From the mailbox I had sprinted straight through La Push to the Clearwater residence where an overly excited Seth practically threw me into the air; a UW letter fisted in his hand.

Yup: we were going to college together.

Seth had been granted a scholarship from the government for being a minority and my very own scholarship reeked of Poot's doing; actually the whole thing did.

I never even filled out an application.

We celebrated for a week straight before cracking down on business and getting our game plan. We had decided to house together in Seattle and to keep the car I had apparently adopted, leaving dad with some old piece of crap Billy had hooked him up. He wasn't too cut up about his loss; he actually seemed willing enough to do anything to get me out of the house.

Two weeks before classes started Seth and I made the move to the big city where we set up home in an apartment overlooking the bay. It was nice in one of those indie-hipster kind of ways (especially after you looked past all the rusted pipes and cracked tiles in the flooring) and we loved it to death.

Nothing had ever felt so right.

Classes soon started and we fell into the routine of balancing school and personal time, and then the inevitable working hours. Seth found an on-campus job helping out the history teachers during their office hours while I was recruited into the online world of P.K.C International as website manager and organizer (a fancy way of saying I answered people's questions and designed the site's graphics).

Yeah, you heard right: Poot's clothing now dresses the people of the world.

If that cat sweater he sent me was anything to go by then God help us all.

"Earth to space cadet." Seth smiled as he poked me square in the forehead, seemingly knowing I was completely lost in thought. I sent a mock glare at him smacked his hand away as he tried to land another jab to my face.

"I wasn't in space," I clarified haughtily, "I just in very far out left field." He laughed at this and took my hand to spin me around so as to squeeze me into a hug from the behind. His chin rested on my shoulder and I had to bite back a smile as his breath tickled at my cheek.

"Left field is still pretty far out for you, Cee." He reminded me cheekily as he gave me a light peck to the temple.

"You know you love it." I smirked, causing another puff of air to skitter across my skin.

"Don't I know it!" He laughed, the underlying message clear as he moved us forwards in an awkward waddle-shuffle towards the kitchen. I could hear Poot yelling from where he sat in pixilated glory on our dinky little kitchen table.

"Yes your majesty?" I asked as we eventually made it into view, our limbs still hopelessly tangled. Poot stopped mid-rant and just looked at us, a shit eating grin covering every inch of his face.

"You two are just _too_ cute for words!" He gushed as Seth and I both laughed and swayed back and forth where we stood. "I mean how is it that we all haven't died from the amount of love radiating out of your little fantasy world?" We laughed even harder at this and I shook my head as Poot began to get flustered.

"One day you'll know everything, young grasshopper, so just get to your point already." I quirked an eyebrow as Poot flipped me the bird before proceeding to tell me that yes, he had sent me a summarized version of our two hour long conference and that yes, he loved the new layout of the site and that no, 'just Google it' was not an acceptable answer for the woman in Singapore inquiring about his sexuality.

"So does this mean we're done?"

"Yes, Caroline, this means we're done."

"Yes!" I cried triumphantly as I leaned from Seth's grasp to exit off Skype, Poot's knowing look piercing me through the screen.

"Today's Friday, isn't it?" He asked oh-so innocently with a smirk. I heard a cough from behind me and didn't have to look over my shoulder to know my boyfriend was blushing. I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at Poot.

"Toodles, bitch!"

"Hey, that's m—" Yeah, I knew it was his catchphrase, but did I really care? Nope, not really.

I had more important things to do.

Turning back to Seth I found him waiting expectantly with arms crossed, an irresistibly sexy smirk on his face.

"You're _so_ going down." He stated with a faux glare.

"Pfft! As if!" I mocked as I brushed past him and into the sardine can we called a living room. He laughed as he followed behind and helped pull out the controllers as a steady rain pelted relaxingly at the windows.

Fridays were _Grand Theft Auto_ nights.

* * *

**_Once again, thanks for everything - comments, reviews, kind words, and most off all, your love! ~Fluff_**

**_P.S - profile page was updated for your perusing pleasure :)_**


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